Former India batter Aakash Chopra says the BCCI selectors should give Vaibhav Sooryavanshi time and avoid rushing him into the senior setup, even after an outstanding IPL 2026 campaign. Sooryavanshi has emerged as the leading run-getter in the tournament and continued to catch the eye with another explosive innings, striking 97 runs from only 29 balls, including 12 sixes. The performance has naturally fuelled speculation about a potential international debut for the 15-year-old in the near future, with some expecting him to be considered for a series against Ireland. Chopra, however, believes that even with his remarkable form, the youngster should not be brought in at the cost of established India players such as Abhishek Sharma or Sanju Samson.<\/p>\n
Chopra stressed that there is still plenty of time before the next World Cup, arguing that selection decisions should not be driven purely by short-term excitement. \u201cWe are still two years away from the next World Cup. There will be time. Yes, it\u2019s exciting. It\u2019s something that is there which you cannot possibly ignore because the IPL is India\u2019s best T20 tournament. So if somebody is just breaking records, shattering records, you\u2019ve got to take it seriously, and this kid is special. There\u2019s no doubt about it. But then you just don\u2019t make changes for the sake of making changes because somebody else has done well,\u201d Chopra said on YouTube.<\/p>\n
He added that replacing players on the back of form can create an unstable selection culture. \u201cIt\u2019s very simple for somebody to go out; you need to fail that exam. If somebody\u2019s 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,\u201d Chopra remarked.<\/p>\n
Chopra then made it clear that Samson and Abhishek should not automatically lose their place simply because Sooryavanshi is scoring heavily. He warned that if selectors start making changes only when a new talent is flying, the same logic will eventually apply again in the future. \u201cYou\u2019re talking about Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson. You\u2019re not replacing them right now because if you were to do that, I can give you in writing, in two or three years, and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi goes through a bad patch, you\u2019re going to follow the same principle,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
According to Chopra, the pressure will only increase as the next generation of prospects comes through, meaning coaches and selectors will face intense scrutiny whenever a young player performs. \u201cThe next kid in town, you\u2019ll want to elevate him to this standard. So 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,\u201d Chopra added.<\/p>\n
He concluded by underlining that Sooryavanshi\u2019s inclusion does not have to happen immediately and that there is no reason for a rushed decision. \u201cHe\u2019s 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\u2019ll do the right thing, but it doesn\u2019t have to happen tomorrow. It can take time. He\u2019s 20 years ahead of him, so there\u2019s no rush,\u201d said Chopra.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Former India batter Aakash Chopra says the BCCI selectors should give Vaibhav Sooryavanshi time and avoid rushing him into the senior setup, even after an…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":12862,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Aakash Chopra on IPL 2026: Don\u2019t Rush Vaibhav Sooryavanshi","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Aakash Chopra warns BCCI against rushing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi after his IPL 2026 fireworks\u201497 off 29 balls. Give the youngster time, he says.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n