Vaibhav Sooryavanshi said ‘I’ll hit 13 sixes today’:Kumar Sangakkara left in disbelief, RR coach says, ‘fame and flash don’t really affect him’

After missing out on a T20I debut for India, Kumar Sangakkara backs 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. He believes Sooryavanshi is the future treasure for Team India. Rajasthan Royals (RR) head coach has also shared an instance of Vaibhav’s self-confidence and self-belief of hitting sixes. Earlier, when Shreyas Iyer was asked about Vaibhav’s T20I debut during the toss against Ireland on Friday, he responded ‘He will get his opportunity when the time comes.’ Notably, Sooryavanshi was the leading run-scorer in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, winning the Orange Cap with 776 runs in the 19th season. Sangakkara on Sooryavanshi’s self-belief and confidence Amid applause for the 15-year-old kid, Sangakkara has also shared a story about Vaibhav’s self-confidence and belief. He said, “I have a story from this season that stands out. We were playing against Lucknow Super Giants. They needed to defend 220 to stay alive in the tournament. We fielded first, and as the chase was about to begin, Vaibhav was walking out to open.” “Before heading to the middle, he looked at me, winked, and said, ‘Coach, don’t worry. It’s done.’ Then he walked into the dressing room and told Donovan Ferreira and Lhuan-dre Pretorius, ‘Listen you two, I’m going to hit 13 sixes today,” he continued further. “After that, you just finish the job.’ He ended up hitting 10 sixes in that game. Donovan and Lhuan-dre thought he was joking at first. But when he reached five sixes, they started counting down because they realised he was actually going to do it. That’s the kind of confidence Vaibhav has at just 15 years of age,” Sangakkara concluded. ‘Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will be force for Indian cricket’: Kumar Sangakkara Ahead of the second T20I match against Ireland, Sangakkara backs Sooryavanshi after missing out on his potential T20I debut. He said, “He is very grounded and curious about many things. He doesn’t just live and breathe cricket all the time. He has space for other things. I have no doubt he will be a force for Indian cricket, world cricket, and in franchise cricket. Mentally, he is in a good place. I think he will deal with everything that comes with fame very well,” he said while speaking on SKY Sports. “I feel Vaibhav will handle all the attention very well. At Rajasthan Royals, we pay a lot of attention to how we manage him and protect him. We keep an eye on him to make sure he stays grounded and focused. He will have many opportunities ahead, in cricket and commercially. How he balances that, and the support he gets from his family and the team, will be crucial. But one thing I can say for sure is that Vaibhav loves batting. He loves the game. The fame and flash don’t really affect him,” he further added. How Rajasthan Royals discover Vaibhav Sooryavanshi? After praising Sooryavanshi, Sangakkara narrated the story of how the Rajasthan-based franchise discovered Vaibhav. He narrates, “In 2023, our analyst Akshay sent us a text about a 12-year-old kid named Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. He said the boy was incredibly talented and we needed to have a look. His coach Manish Ojha had told Vaibhav’s father that the kid was ready for the big leagues at just 12. We were surprised at first. Thought it was a joke. But Akshay was very sure, so we brought him in. Rahul Dravid was the head coach at RR then. They watched him for five or six minutes and said, ‘We have to buy this lad.’ “I first saw Vaibhav during a camp in Guwahati. In a small side net, Jofra Archer and Sandeep Sharma were bowling with the new ball. No one wanted to bat there. Vaibhav walked in and said, ‘I’ll bat.’ The sound off his bat was like a gunshot. He took on Archer and Sandeep with ease. At one point, Archer just stopped and laughed because this 14-year-old was treating him with utter disdain,” he narrated further.