Vaibhav Sooryavanshi of India celebrates after scoring his fifty runs during the 1st T20 International match between Zimbabwe and India at the Harare Sports Club, Harare, Zimbabwe on July 23, 2026. (CREIMAS)Former India opener Virender Sehwag said that he finds Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s propensity to go after the bowler right from the off similar to how he himself used to play for the country. “Sooryavanshi is is in his prime, and his thinking is somewhat similar to mine, that of hitting right from the first ball. Now, it is about when he gets the opportunity and how many matches he plays for India,” Sehwag said during a discussion at the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s annual session on Saturday.“Look, if you are playing in an age-category, it makes sense – if it’s Under-19, your age should be under 19. But once you play the IPL or play for India, age doesn’t matter. A 38-or 40-year-old (Virat) Kohli is playing, and a 15-year-old (Vaibhav) Sooryavanshi is also playing. Then, performance matters,” he added.Sehwag, owner of 17253 international runs, stands way ahead of the 15-year-old who has scored 246 runs from eight T20Is but at a blistering strike-rate of 186.Sooryavanshi may have captured the imagination of the cricket world with his big-hitting prowess at the age of 15 in last year’s IPL but the Indian team management is being cautious with the teenager.Also Read | Why crown prince Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has to wait for coronationThere have been moments in his fledgling international career when it has looked clear that he remains in early stages of his development despite his immense talent and India bowling coach Morne Morkel has said that he likes to challenge Sooryavanshi regardless of whether he is playing or not.Morkel said that being with the team is good for Sooryavanshi’s development, regardless of whether he is in the playing eleven or not.Sooryavanshi, who is yet to feature in the ongoing West Indies series, has played eight T20Is thus far and has a strike rate of 186.16 but an average of only 30.75 in the 246 runs he has scored. He is yet to play an international match in India, having been left on the bench during the T20I series against Afghanistan earlier this year while Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma opened.Stay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.Tags:Vaibhav SuryavanshiVirender Sehwag