Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s weakness exposed again as young star falls to familiar short-ball trap

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi once again showed why he is considered one of the most exciting young batting talents in India, but his latest dismissal also highlighted a weakness that teams are slowly starting to notice.

Playing for India A against Afghanistan A in the second tri-series match at Dambulla in Sri Lanka, the 15-year-old left-hander looked in complete control early in his innings. He smashed nine boundaries in his 22-ball stay and raced to 44, but failed to convert it into a big score.

Afghanistan pacer Abdullah Ahmadzai finally found a way to stop him. A short delivery in the fourth and fifth stump channel forced him into a risky shot. Trying to play a casual guide towards the off-side, Sooryavanshi only managed a faint edge and was caught behind.

Vaibhav's short-ball struggle continues

The dismissal looked similar to the problem he faced during the later stages of the IPL 2026. In the Eliminator, Sunrisers Hyderabad pacers had used the same tactic against him when he was just three runs away from breaking the all-time fastest century record.

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After Sooryavanshi had taken the game away from them, they attacked him with short deliveries outside off-stump and found success when he went for the pull shot. The same issue appeared again against Afghanistan, where his natural attacking instinct took over even though the delivery was not there to be hit.

Meanwhile, it shouldn't be a big issue for the Bihar prodigy as he managed to find his form back after a rare failure in the first match of the series against Sri Lanka A. He was dismissed cheaply in the match, but made the full use of his opportunity in today's game against Afghanistan A.

Sooryavanshi is on the verge of becoming the youngest player ever to represent India at the highest level. He has been picked for the tours of Ireland and England, where he might make his debut and break Sachin Tendulkar's record. Sooryavanshi received his maiden India call-up following a sensational IPL season, where he broke multiple records and finished as the top run-scorer with an impressive strike rate.