Former England spinner Monty Panesar has reckoned that the Indian teen batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will not find much success in the longest format of the game. Notably, his comments came ahead of India’s Test tour of New Zealand.
Sooryavanshi, who had an exceptional IPL 2026 season, made his T20I debut on the recent England tour and later played on the Zimbabwe tour. Most recently, the 15-year-old helped the East Zone win the Duleep Trophy 2026 title.
“I can’t see Sooryavanshi transitioning to Test cricket. Harry Brook is the only one right now who’s in the top 10 in Tests and T20Is. But I just don’t think Sooryavanshi has got the technique,” Panesar said on the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast.
On the other hand, the former Australian captain Michael Clarke asserted that the teen batting prodigy could become an all-format superstar, similar to Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. However, he is not sure whether the teen batter would want to play Test cricket.
“I think you can still play all three formats. Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers showed that. These guys were brilliant Test cricketers and unbelievable T20 cricketers as well. If a player from this generation like Sooryavanshi can make the transition into Test cricket, it is going to be unreal to watch. But whether he wants to play Test cricket is going to be a question as well,” said Clarke.
“Right now, power is still his main thing, and he has an amazing eye. He picks the ball as well as any young cricketer in the world. The technique will get better the more he tours with India and trains in different conditions. He’s talented enough that, if he wants to do it, I can’t see any reason why he can’t be a superstar in all three formats,” he added.
