Regarding 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, former England left-arm spinner Monty Panesar has boldly stated that he does not see the young Indian batsman succeeding in Test cricket. Monty Panesar evaluation was based on worries regarding Sooryavanshi’s present hitting style.
Former Australia captain Michael Clarke joined Monty Panesar on the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast when he made the comments. Regarding whether Sooryavanshi, India’s youngest-ever international debutant, has the resources to thrive in all formats, the two expressed starkly different opinions.
Since making his T20I debut for India in July 2026, Sooryavanshi has amassed 1,670 runs at an average of 42.82 and a strike rate of 216.32 in all T20 cricket matches. However, his red-ball record—399 runs at an average of 23.47 in 17 First-Class innings—tells a different tale.
Regarding Sooryavanshi’s chances of winning the Test, what did Monty Panesar say?
Monty Panesar emphasized how few players are truly proficient in both the game’s longest and shortest variants. He used the fact that England batsman Harry Brook is now the only player in the top 10 in both Tests and Twenty20 Internationals as an example of how challenging it is to accomplish such a crossover.
Sooryavanshi’s First-Class figures do provide context for that issue. In August 2026, while playing as East Zone’s vice-captain in the Duleep Trophy semi-final in Bengaluru, he achieved his career-high score of 93. An total First-Class average of 23.47 over 17 innings is still low for a player regarded as a potential future Test player, despite the setback.
What is in store for Sooryavanshi, and how did Clarke react?
Clarke vehemently disagreed with Panesar’s assessment, contending that a gifted cricket player can still play all three formats. He cited the careers of AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli as examples of players who excelled at the highest levels in both Test and Twenty20 cricket.
Clarke makes an important remark on Sooryavanshi’s personal goals. The adolescent’s decision to play red-ball cricket at the top level will be just as crucial as his technical aptitude.
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Despite not playing in any of the games, Sooryavanshi was a member of the T20I team that defeated Afghanistan 3-0 in Delhi. He will be one of the youngest players in the entire Indian delegation when he travels to Japan with the Indian T20I team for the Asian Games in 2026.
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