Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has conquered the hype. Now comes the hard part: Waiting

NEW DELHI: One will have to feel for 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.Whenever VVS Laxman has been at the helm, Sooryavanshi has played for India, be it in Zimbabwe or at the recently concluded 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. To accommodate the teenager in the playing XI, Sanju Samson moved down to No. 3. But with Gautam Gambhir back for the West Indies T20I series, Sooryavanshi has been left warming the bench.The youngster did make his India debut under Gambhir during the tour of England earlier this year, but India's head coach made it clear that Sooryavanshi will have to wait for his opportunity. Gambhir has also made no secret of his faith in Samson, India's Player of the Tournament in the 2026 T20 World Cup. He admitted that leaving the Kerala batter out during India's tour of England was the "toughest decision" he has made since taking charge as head coach.In the first T20I against West Indies, Sooryavanshi was again on the bench, with Samson opening alongside Abhishek Sharma. Samson's stay at the crease lasted only nine balls before he hit a half-tracker straight back to Akeal Hosein. It was a soft dismissal, and in the commentary box, Ian Bishop, one of Samson's many admirers, could not help but question the batter's consistency.The world sees him differently, and he sees himself differently in the world. What is in his control is the only thing that we can talk about: how he manages himself in this new world that he is in and how he manages the way the world responds to the new Sooryavanshi.The question, then, is where does that leave Sooryavanshi?Sujith Somasunder, former India and Karnataka opener and a sports psychologist, believes the teenager now has to learn how to navigate a world that has changed dramatically since his emergence as one of Indian cricket's biggest young stars.“Sooryavanshi has achieved what he has achieved so far on his own. Now, suddenly, his status in the cricketing world has moved to a different tangent. The world sees him differently, and he sees himself differently in the world. What is in his control is the only thing that we can talk about: how he manages himself in this new world that he is in and how he manages the way the world responds to the new Sooryavanshi. That is a very important aspect of how he will be able to control and manage this situation,” Somasunder told TimesofIndia.com.“Sooryavanshi has to realise that, ‘I am now going to get into the water, so I need to know how to swim.’ Similarly, he needs to understand that the world I am in now is a little different from what it was before I became Sooryavanshi. He will also need to learn and understand how to navigate this situation for himself,” he added.Sooryavanshi is now fighting for a place in the playing XI with Samson, the man whose 97 not out, 89 and 89 in the knockout stages helped India defend their T20 World Cup title. But since those heroics, Samson has managed only two half-centuries in 11 innings, both coming in Delhi, a venue traditionally favourable to batters. In six of those innings, he has been dismissed for single-digit scores.Sooryavanshi, meanwhile, is still only 15. He has already become a superstar, despite being at the very beginning of his international career. He endured a difficult start against Jofra Archer and Co. in England, but found his groove in Zimbabwe and looked in excellent touch at the Asian Games.Someone doesn't become a Player of the Tournament in a World Cup without having the talent. So Sanju Samson has done enough.Yet Gambhir has drawn a clear line for now. Unless Samson's lean run continues, Sooryavanshi could have to wait longer than expected for another opportunity.Gambhir, however, has stressed that Samson does not need anyone to validate his place in the team, pointing to his performances as proof of his ability.“First of all, he doesn't need to give me any credit (for proper communication when he wasn't playing). His talent itself is enough for him to be in the dressing room. He's shown what he's capable of. Someone doesn't become a Player of the Tournament in a World Cup without having the talent. So he's done enough,” Gambhir said in an interview with Jio Hotstar, praising Samson.“From Vaibhav's point of view, it was again a very clear conversation that he has to wait for his opportunity. We know the kind of talent he has. We know what he can do,” Gambhir had said about Sooryavanshi.For Somasunder, though, the waiting period is not necessarily a setback. It could be an important part of Sooryavanshi's development, provided the teenager is given the right support and guidance.He gives the example of Australia and Ricky Ponting, a prodigiously talented youngster who was identified early as a potential future leader.“In the world of cricket, the way it has gone in India, the onus is always on the individual. In Australia, for example, I remember Ricky Ponting was a very brash young talent. I have heard, though I am not sure if it is true and I have not verified it, that the Australian Institute of Sport, as it was called initially, identified Ricky Ponting as a leader. What they did was take the initiative to groom Ponting as the next captain. He was a very brash young kid, but if they saw that he could be the future captain of the Australian team, then they needed to groom him to behave appropriately and develop the right leadership skills,” he said.Somasunder believes Indian cricket could similarly look beyond simply managing Sooryavanshi's performances and invest in preparing him for the pressures that come with being one of the country's most talked-about young cricketers.“Meanwhile, in our culture, which is relationship-oriented, Australia could be described as more task-oriented. So there are certain nuances to a relationship-oriented culture when it comes to individuals. In a task-oriented culture, there is more individualism. In a hierarchical culture, people tend to bow down to someone higher in the hierarchy. In an individualistic culture, everybody will call themselves by their own name and might even call the coach by his first name,” he added.For Sooryavanshi, this may be his first real lesson in the less glamorous side of international cricket. He has already learnt how to announce himself on the biggest stage. Now, he must learn how to wait for it. At 15, that patience could prove just as important as the talent that got him there in the first place.Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news, check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.