Former South Africa cricketer AB de Villiers was to see Vaibhav Sooryavanshi turn out in all three formats of the game for Team India in future.
Published: October 3, 2026, 9:12 AM IST
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AB de Villiers (left) and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi(Photos: WCL, PTI)
Bihar and Rajasthan Royals opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is probably the best thing to happen in India cricket in many yearAt only 15 years of age, Sooryavanshi has become a ‘phenom’ in international cricket and made immediate after making his debut at the Asian Games 2026.
Sooryavanshi, who was consigned to the bench in the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan last month, returned to Team India playing 11 for the semifinal of Asian Games 2026 against Sri Lanka and came up with a crucial 38 off 21 balls on a difficult pitch at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin on Thursday,
Ahead of India’s gold medal match against arch-rivals Pakistan on Saturday, South Africa and Royal Challengers Bengaluru cricket legend AB de Villiers spoke to India.com and believes Sooryavanshi needs to find ways to succeed in all three formats of the game.
“Yes, he’s (Vaibhav Sooryavanshi) absolutely phenomenal to watchI’m not surprised to be honestIt was a matter of time before these youngsters would arrive with that kind of mindset that we can actually completely destroy bowling attacks, especially in that first six overs in T20 cricket,” AB de Villiers, who will be leading South Africa Legends team in World Championship of Legend (WCL) 2026 from Saturday, told India.com.
“What Sooryavanshi has done in IPL was great to watchAnd it’s not going to stop hereWe’re going to see plenty more of thatThe next phase for him is to find a blueprint in different formats, in different conditions, realizing that every game poses a different challenge and playing the situation instead of just playing one way or being one dimensional with his game.
“So I would urge him on to keep developing his gameI think he picked up a little bit on that in the UK when he toured EnglandMy message to him would be to assess every single match he plays and get a feel for what he’s confronted with on the day and to respect that whatever his decision is, whether it’s a flat wicket and let’s go for 60 of 20 balls or realizing today is a day where maybe 30 of 20 balls will be okay,” he added.
Sooryavanshi was part of the East Zone team as vice-captain under Ishan Kishan which won the Duleep Trophy 2026 title last monthThe BCCI selectors would love to see him develop in a destructive Test batter as well.
“I would love to watch him play all formats of the gameIt would be so good for Test cricket to see players like that break throughHopefully there’s a chapter in his career where he plays a bit of Test cricketHe’s got all the talent in the world and what he’s achieved is phenomenalHe’s still very young, so there’s plenty of time,” De Villiers said.
THE NAMES YOU GREW UP WATCHING ARE BACK!
India’s Yuvraj Singh, South Africa’s ABD & legends from across the world are all set for the World Championship of Legends.
Catch all the action from World Championship of Legends LIVE on FanCode #WorldChampionshipOfLegends pic.twitter.com/FxW2LVGUxG
— FanCode (@FanCode) October 2, 2026
Australia Legends tried to remind us of SA’s World Cup record against them: AB de Villiers
The 42-year-old South African played a major role in winning the WCL 2025 title for his sideChampions South Africa will open their campaign against West Indies on Sunday, October 4 but De Villiers is looking forward to renewing his rivalry against Australia.
“Last year we played in the final against PakistanIt was a great game of cricketThey posted a really good score and we did a fantastic chase to win that trophyOur semi final was a very close battle against arch-rivals AustraliaAs you guys know, a lot of World Cups we lost out against AustraliaSo there was definitely that kind of a nervous feeling going to that game and Australia did everything they could to remind us of our World Cup record,” De Villiers revealed about his memories from WCL 2025.
“They’ve (Australia) always sort of been our bogey team in big tournamentsAnd that was in the back of our mindsSo it was great to turn the tide against them in that semi-final where we played the big moments better than them.
“But India obviously coming with some big namesI see most of the squads have really dug deep to get active players involved, players who are still playing franchise cricket around the worldIf they’re not playing franchise cricket, at least club cricketSo we start our first game against the West Indies on the 4th of OctoberI’m very much looking forward to seeing some of my old teammates and foesChris Gale comes to mind, Dwayne Bravo, just a lot of legends everywhere you look,” De Villiers said.
Where can I watch livestreaming of South Africa vs West Indies World Champions Legends (2026) match in India?
The South Africa vs West Indies World Champions Legends (2026) match will be available for live streaming on FanCode website and app on Sunday, October 4 from 5pm IST.
