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Irfan Pathan on Vaibhav Suryavanshi: Former cricketer Irfan Pathan has given special advice to Indian cricket's rising star Vaibhav Suryavanshi before IPL 2026. Pathan stressed on 15-year-old Vaibhav not to let success and failure go to his head and to be with a good mentor. For Vaibhav, who scored a century in 35 balls in the IPL and was the player of the tournament in the Under-19 World Cup, the opposing teams can make special strategies this time, of which they will have to be careful.
Irfan Pathan gave success mantra to Vaibhav Suryavanshi.
New Delhi. When a new star shines on the horizon of Indian cricket, expectations start skyrocketing. But when that star starts destroying the world's biggest bowlers at the age of just 14-15, the responsibility for his safety and proper guidance increases even more. Bihar's Lal Vaibhav Suryavanshi is standing at this very juncture today. Vaibhav, who created history by scoring a century in just 35 balls against Gujarat Titans in IPL 2025, has now been given a very important and bitter advice by former Team India veteran Irfan Pathan.
Irfan Pathan, in a special conversation with Geostar, expressed concern about Vaibhav Suryavanshi's age and his success. Pathan believes that 15 years of age is very delicate. He said, 'It is most important for Vaibhav not to let success or failure go to his head. At this point, he has a long professional career of 20 years ahead of him, but in today's era, careers can also be short. Pathan stressed that Vaibhav needs a mentor who will keep him grounded, similar to the role Rahul Dravid played with him last year.
Irfan Pathan gave success mantra to Vaibhav Suryavanshi.
Now 'strategy web' will be laid
Vaibhav Suryavanshi had surprised everyone with his fearless batting last season, but IPL 2026 will be a litmus test for him. While talking about the technical aspects, Irfan Pathan warned that the opposing teams will now come after doing 'homework' against Vaibhav. The opposing bowlers will try to trap him outside the off-stump or, like Abhishek Sharma, will adopt the strategy of trapping him by constantly changing his pace. According to Pathan, 'Vaibhav will have to adapt himself to these circumstances. He will have to find new ways to score runs, even if it means the risk of getting out.
'Great hero' of Under-19 World Cup
Vaibhav Suryavanshi's talent is not limited to just IPL. The way he performed in the Under-19 World Cup 2026 proved that he is a long-race horse. Vaibhav played an important role in making India champion with his aggressive batting throughout the tournament. Winning such big titles at such a young age can boost the morale of any player, but Irfan Pathan's advice indicates that this is just the beginning.
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Active in journalism for about 15 years. Studied from Delhi University. Interested in sports especially cricket, badminton, boxing and wrestling. Covered IPL, Commonwealth Games and Pro Wrestling League events. From February 2022…read more
