India’s teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has shifted his focus from T20 cricket to the longer format, beginning preparations for the upcoming Duleep Trophy, where he will represent East Zone.

The 15-year-old is currently training at the Rajasthan Royals Performance Centre in Nagpur as part of a 10-day camp organised by his IPL franchise. With red-ball cricket presenting a very different challenge from the high-tempo T20 format, Sooryavanshi is working on aspects of his batting, particularly defence and leaving deliveries outside the off stump.

The youngster shared a video of his training session on Instagram on Tuesday with the simple caption, “Preparation”. The footage showed him combining his naturally aggressive batting with more controlled defensive strokes.

Red-Ball Challenge Awaits

Sooryavanshi's next major assignment will come in the Duleep Trophy, which begins on August 23. He has been named East Zone vice-captain, with wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan appointed captain.

The tournament will provide Sooryavanshi with an opportunity to adapt his batting to longer innings, changing pitches and sustained spells from red-ball bowlers.

His preparation comes shortly after an impressive T20I tour of Zimbabwe. Sooryavanshi scored 151 runs in three innings, averaging 50.33 at a strike rate of 196.10. He made two half-centuries, with his highest score being 81.

He was subsequently named Player of the Series and became the youngest player to win the award at 15 years and 121 days.

Six T20Is for India

Sooryavanshi has so far played six T20 Internationals for India, scoring 193 runs at an average of 32.16 and a strike rate of 189.21. He has two half-centuries in the format.

His recent England tour was less productive. He played three innings but failed to cross the 20-run mark in any of them as India lost the five-match series 4-1.

The contrasting performances have highlighted the importance of developing his game beyond T20 cricket, particularly as he begins taking his first steps into senior domestic red-ball cricket.

Youngest Indian International Debutant

Sooryavanshi made his India debut against England in Manchester at just 15 years and 99 days.

The debut made him the youngest cricketer to represent India in international cricket, surpassing previous records associated with Sachin Tendulkar in men's cricket and Shafali Verma in women's cricket.

Tendulkar made his Test debut at 16 years and 205 days, while Shafali made her international debut at 15 years and 239 days.

IPL 2026 Breakthrough

Before making his international debut, Sooryavanshi had already established himself as one of the most talked-about young players in the IPL.

Playing for Rajasthan Royals, he scored 776 runs in 16 matches during IPL 2026 at a remarkable strike rate of 237.31. His performances earned him the Orange Cap.

He also collected the Most Valuable Player, Emerging Player, Super Striker and Super Sixes awards.

His IPL campaign followed another standout performance at the Under-19 World Cup, where he scored 439 runs and was named Player of the Tournament.

Record-Breaking U19 Final

Sooryavanshi also produced a memorable innings in the Under-19 World Cup final, scoring 175 against England.

The knock made him the highest scorer in an Under-19 World Cup final, surpassing the previous mark of 111 not out held by India's Unmukt Chand, who scored the innings against Australia in the 2012 final.

Rajasthan Royals Camp

The current training camp in Nagpur includes several Rajasthan Royals players, including Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma, Shubham Dubey, Ravi Singh and Sushant Mishra.

Sooryavanshi and Deshpande are both set to feature in the Duleep Trophy, with Deshpande representing West Zone.

According to Rajasthan Royals, the camp is designed to prepare players for the domestic season through technical training, strength and conditioning, workload management, recovery and performance analysis.

The Performance Centre also provides access to pitches prepared with different types of soil, allowing players to experience varied playing conditions.

Vikram Rathour Stresses Preparation

Rajasthan Royals batting coach Vikram Rathour has described the period before the domestic season as an important opportunity for players to refine their skills.

The franchise's Head of Operations, Romi Bhinder, has also stressed the long-term purpose of the High Performance Centre, saying player development is intended to continue throughout the year rather than being restricted to the IPL season.

For Sooryavanshi, the immediate objective is clear: adjust his attacking T20 game to the demands of red-ball cricket.

With the Duleep Trophy beginning on August 23, the teenager's ability to defend, leave the ball and build longer innings will now be under the spotlight.

East Zone Squad

Ishan Kishan (Captain), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (Vice-Captain), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sudeep Gharami, Mohammed Shami, Mukesh Kumar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Suraj Jaiswal, Virat Singh, Kumar Kushagra, Shikhar Mohan, Subhranshu Senapati, Abhijeet Sarkar, Anukul Roy and Danish Das.