“I hope so…”. Rahul Dravid fires ‘fine line’ warning for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi ahead of likely India debut | Cricket News:

The rise of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been one of the biggest talking points in Indian cricket in the last few months. He has scored runs in age-group cricket, domestic cricket, India A matches and the IPL. Now, the 15-year-old is on the cusp of another milestone – becoming India’s youngest international cricketer.India are expected to give Sooryavanshi his debut in the first T20I against Ireland in Belfast on Friday. If he plays, he will be 15 years and 91 days old, which makes him even younger than that Sachin Tendulkar when he made his international debut against Pakistan in 1989 at the age of 16 years and 205 days. Sooryavanshi’s much-anticipated debut comes after an incredible IPL season with: Rajasthan Royals. He finished as the highest run-scorer in the tournament, making 776 runs in 16 innings at a strike rate of 237.30.Just days before joining the senior Indian squad, Sooryavanshi was in action for India A against Sri Lanka A, where he broke the record for the fastest half-century in List A cricket, reaching the landmark in just 11 balls.As the excitement around the youngster continues to grow, former India coach and Rajasthan Royals head coach Rahul Dravid shared his thoughts on the teenager.Speaking to the BBC, Dravid described Sooryavanshi as “an incredible talent”.“I think it’s a unique combination of the ability to get the speed of the bowler and then the cricket smarts, no fear. It’s a whole combination of things,” said Dravid.Dravid added: “I don’t think there is a recipe for making a Sooryavanshi, I don’t think you can take any kid and say, do this, and he will be that good.However, Dravid pointed out that Sooryavanshi’s success is not just about talent. He recalls working with him at Rajasthan Royals in 2025, when the lad made his IPL debut at the age of 14.“But he works hard too, so it’s not a gift. From a young age, he hits a lot of balls. I saw that in Rajasthan,”Dravid also stressed the importance of managing the teenager’s development well as he embarked on his international career.“I just hope he’s supported and helped on the journey to really reach that potential.”He added, “You have to protect someone like him, but it’s always that fine line because sometimes you have to let someone fly.”