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Former Indian cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra has voiced against the idea of fast-tracking IPL 2026 sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi straight into the international arena.
The 15-year-old batter is now officially eligible for international cricket under ICC minimum age regulations, and even several former cricketers demanded his immediate fast-tracking into the India National Cricket Team for the upcoming white-ball assignments.
However, the BCCI is carefully handling the transition of the teenage batting sensation into the senior squad by selecting him for the India A squad for the upcoming Sri Lanka tour. However, there are chances that the left-hander can be picked for the upcoming T20I matches the way he has been dismantling the bowling attacks in the ongoing IPL 2026.
Aakash Chopra warns BCCI against rushing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi into Team India
But Aakash Chopra has urged the Indian selectors to stay patient with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi despite his unbelievable IPL 2026 season. The Rajasthan Royals’ teenage sensation has become one of the biggest stars of the tournament with his explosive batting, but the former Indian opener feels the youngster should not be rushed into the Indian national cricket team.
Read Also: Ex-CSK batter advises Yashasvi Jaiswal to leave Rajasthan Royals amid Vaibhav Sooryavanshi rise
He believes that India already has a settled batting lineup with players like Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson performing brilliantly as well in IPL 2026, so Vaibhav must get time to grow to develop his team, keeping in mind the longer picture.
This kid is special, but don’t perish others for him: Aakash Chopra urges Indian selectors
Aakash Chopra said as quoted by News18, “We are still 2 years away from the next World Cup. There will be time. Yes, it’s exciting. It’s something that is there which you cannot possibly ignore because IPL is India’s best T20 tournament. So, if somebody is just breaking records, shattering records, you’ve got to take it seriously, and this kid is special. There’s no doubt about it.”
The commentator continued, “But then you just don’t make changes for the sake of making changes because somebody else has done well. It’s very simple for somebody to go out; you need to fail that exam. If somebody’s a topper already, how can you just replace the topper because you think somebody else will actually get more grades? I mean, he is a topper.”
He’s not Indian cricket: Chopra on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Meanwhile, Chopra has pointed out that Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson are already doing well, so there is no need to replace them immediately for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi because Indian cricket is bigger than any one individual and the teenager still has a very long career ahead.
The cricket pundit also warned the national selectors that if they follow this pattern now, then the same pressure will come on Vaibhav in the future whenever he goes through a bad phase.
Chopra signed off by saying, “Ajit Agarkar, RP Singh, Pragyan Ojha will face a lot of scrutiny and pressure, but they need to do what is right for Indian cricket, and he represents Indian cricket. He’s not Indian cricket. I mean, he is a part of Indian cricket, and I think that fact is not lost on any of the selectors, and they’ll do the right thing, but it doesn’t have to happen tomorrow. It can take time. He’s 20 years ahead of him, so there’s no rush.”
