India's stand-in coach VVS Laxman has praised young batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for the tremendous rise in a short span of time. Laxman, who served as India's head coach during the recently concluded T20I tour of Zimbabwe, highlighted Sooryavanshi's sharp awareness after India's 35-run victory in the third and final T20I, which helped the team complete a 3-0 clean sweep.

Sooryavanshi played a major role in India's victory by firing a superb knock of 81 to anchor the innings. Laxman revealed that his association with Sooryavanshi began much earlier than the IPL success. He first noticed the youngster's potential during a training camp at the Centre of Excellence around two years ago, when he was overseeing the development programme.

"We know Vaibhav very well. It was two-and-a-half years ago; that was the first time we identified him, just before the 2024 Under-19 World Cup. He was part of the quadrangular series in Vijayawada; he was one of the top scorers for India B. Since then, he has been part of various camps at the CoE, and then he was the highest run-getter in the Under-19 World Cup," Laxman said at the press conference. 

"So we know him in and out. It's not only the player, but also the person. When you know the person and understand what works for him and how to prepare him so that he's in the best frame of mind going into a match."

Sooryavanshi also had a sensational Indian Premier League campaign (IPL) 2026. In the tournament, he was the leading run-scorer, scoring 776 runs at a strike rate of 237.30.

"He knows his game. For him, as with anyone, it's just about minute adjustments in terms of skill. But what is really impressive is the way he's evolved as a person. The maturity level, understanding and awareness over the last six months have skyrocketed. That's why he's been able to handle tough situations and perform under pressure against the best players."

Laxman also emphasised that Sooryavanshi needs to work on his fitness. 

"One of the areas that we want him to work on is his overall fitness. He's a very young boy. He himself wants to get better in every aspect of the game. Even today, when he got injured, he still wanted to stay on the field. But It was our physio who asked him to come off. That's the eagerness and earnestness he has to contribute in every possible way to the team," Laxman said.