As the fans and experts have been wondering what sort of career Vaibhav Sooryavanshi could have if and when he gets an opportunity to play Test cricket for India, former coach Rahul Dravid has also chimed in with his opinion on the youngster.
Sooryavanshi has dazzled the entire cricketing world over the last year-and-half through his sensational exploits in the IPL, which was followed by an India debut in England and a Man of the Series show in Zimbabwe.
There have been doubts raised over the sustainability of his batting methods in the longer formats. While Sooryavanshi has a terrific List-A record – although he’s played only 13 List-A matches so far, he’s shown his calibre by smashing runs at an average of 43 and a strike rate of 176 – his red-ball record is underwhelming.
What is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s first-class record?
Sooryavanshi has featured in 8 first-class matches so far for Bihar, in which he managed a meagre average of 17, notching up only one half-century in 17 innings. However, it is to be noted that the last of his eight red-ball games came in November 2025, after which he’s gone from strength to strength in T20 cricket.
Thus, the upcoming Duleep Trophy matches would be crucial for Sooryavanshi to test and prove his own mettle in the multi-day red-ball format.
In the Duleep Trophy, which starts on Sunday, Sooryavanshi will be playing for East Zone, and the 15-year-old has been named the vice-captain to skipper Ishan Kishan.
Sooryavanshi might miss September’s India A vs Australia A two-match series as it will clash with the Asian Games.
I think Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s going to have some success: Rahul Dravid
Dravid, who was Sooryavanshi’s coach at Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2025, opined that the youngster could be able to translate his white-ball skills and success to red-ball matches and could one day play Test cricket for India.
“I think he’s going to have some success, but he also might have periods where it probably doesn’t work out well for him. But let’s all remember he’s only 15 and he has a long way to go. So Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, by not playing in T20 competitions all over the world, is actually playing in the red-ball Indian domestic competition. He’s growing; he’s getting better at red-ball skills,” Dravid told Cricinfo in London, where he unveiled the ETPL tournament.
“Hopefully someday if he does well and performs well like he has in white-ball cricket, he might become a red-ball player for India. And how exciting that would be for the world game as well.”
Dravid was pleased to learn that Sooryavanshi will be playing Duleep Trophy matches. He added that exciting players like Vaibhav could help Test cricket surge.
“I think you always have to find that balance. And I think it’s a great thing that Vaibhav is getting the experience of playing some white-ball cricket through the IPL in India, but he’s also having the time to go back and play red-ball cricket in the Indian domestic system and grow his red-ball career.
“All of us also want to see Test cricket survive, all of us want to see Test cricket grow, and we need players like him to be able to hopefully play all formats of the game,” the former India coach asserted.
How to watch the Duleep Trophy?
All the Duleep Trophy matches will be live streamed on the JioHotstar app and website. Only the final will be telecast live on Star Sports.
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