Sports Desk: Rajasthan Royals have endured an inconsistent IPL 2026 campaign despite a promising start to the season. After winning consecutive matches early on, the Royals now find themselves in sixth place on the points table, with six wins and six losses from 12 games. Amid the mixed campaign, 15-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has emerged as one of the bright spots for the franchise. However, former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif believes the youngster must improve his fielding if he hopes to represent India at the highest level.
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Speaking on JioHotstar, Kaif praised the work of talent scouts but pointed out that Sooryavanshi’s fielding needs attention. “I believe scouts should also take a fielding test while scouting players. I have not seen Vaibhav Sooryavanshi take a single catch yet. If he wants to play for India, he needs to improve his fielding ability,” Kaif said. He added that fielding remains a crucial aspect of modern cricket and suggested that the youngster must pass that “fielding test” to progress further in his career.
Meanwhile, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh also shared his views on how bowlers should approach the aggressive young batter. Harbhajan said that his strategy against Sooryavanshi would be to keep the ball away from the youngster’s hitting arc and rely on spin variations to restrict his attacking strokeplay. “Against Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, my plan would be to get his wicket anyhow. My plan would be to spin the ball and keep it away from his hitting arc,” Harbhajan remarked. Despite Rajasthan Royals’ struggles this season, Sooryavanshi’s fearless batting approach has drawn significant attention and continues to make him one of the emerging names in IPL 2026.
