3 min readApr 8, 2026 10:39 AM IST
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan wants selectors to stop waiting and hand Vaibhav Sooryavanshi his India cap — and after what the 15-year-old did to Jasprit Bumrah on Tuesday, it’s hard to argue with him.
Sooryavanshi hit Bumrah on the very first ball he faced, then came back and hit him again off a slower one. He finished with 39 off 14 balls.
“Sooryavanshi is a destiny’s child,” Pathan said. “What he is doing at 15 in white-ball cricket, I don’t think we have ever seen anyone do this.”
Pathan said the youngster had been specifically waiting for this moment. “This 15-year-old wonder kid says — I am waiting for Jasprit Bumrah. I got out to him last year. I will come this year and hit him. And he hit Bumrah on the very first ball.”
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What impressed Pathan most was that Sooryavanshi had actually forced Bumrah into doubt. “The way Bumrah had no plans visible, the way he moved to the slower one — Vaibhav Suryavanshi has forced even Bumrah to think. In white-ball cricket, India has not found a bowler like Bumrah. He is a GOAT. And this feat has been achieved against him.”
Pathan said the secret is in Sooryavanshi’s mindset. “Whatever bowler comes in front, he does not watch his action, does not think too much. He only watches the ball. If he gets it, he hits it. This thinking makes him very special.”
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A few months ago, Pathan said he had asked a selector how far Sooryavanshi was from an India cap. He did not reveal the answer — but pointed to Tuesday’s innings as all the answer anyone needed.
“Don’t make this boy wait too long,” he said. “Give him the Indian team cap. Imagine — this boy can play 20 years of professional cricket. This is scary for bowlers.”
Off the field, Pathan said he was just as impressed. A conversation with Sooryavanshi’s coach at the studio the previous day had stuck with him. “He told me this boy is very well-mannered. He comes and touches my feet wherever I am. The mind is in exactly the right place.”
“Very special,” Pathan said. “It is unbelievable.”
