Mumbai, April 13 -- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's teammates and opposition players cannot fully comprehend how a 15-year-old boy puts the world's best bowlers to the sword. The left-hander from Samastipur has in this IPL aced the Jasprit Bumrah test, taken down Josh Hazlewood and ensured Bhuvneshwar Kumar comes out second best. Hardik Pandya called him 17-16-year-old. His Rajasthan Royals skipper Riyan Parag described him as "16 or whatever it is". Sooryavanshi's age had become a talking point when one of his childhood interviews surfaced on social media. It's irrelevant now. As Parag said, "whatever it is". The 15-year-old with a cherubic face has been ripping apart the best-laid bowling plans. Last year, he scored 252 runs in seven matches at a strike rate of 207 in his debut season. In IPL 2026, in four matches he's already scored 200 runs at a SR of 267. His admirers are growing by the day. Jos Buttler said he was more starstruck than the teenager when they met. Virat Kohli signed on his Orange Cap on Friday, adding to his cabinet of mementos. There is an air of inevitability about Sooryavanshi playing for India. How soon is a question for the selectors to answer. "T20Is are not a problem. He can walk into any side," said RR batting coach Zubin Bharucha, who has done considerable work with Sooryavanshi. "People are starting to bowl short outside off with fielders up thinking he can't play the cut shot and it's become a free hit for him. You bowl full, he will hit you straight. So, where do you keep the field for him? In the last six months, he has diligently worked on where the teams might target him. There is a sense of occasion about him." Yet, it is because of Sooryavanshi's age that many feel the need to protect him. Ahead of last year's IPL auction, every team had seen him dominate in age-group cricket. Still, only two teams bid for him, and only RR bid past Rs.1 crore to get him. When a wonder kid comes knocking on the door, comparisons are inevitably made with Sachin Tendulkar. When Tendulkar was 15, he wasn't taken to the West Indies for the fear of getting hurt. That was Test cricket with prospect of facing a battery of fast bowlers. In the game's changed landscape where T20 selections are guided by recent form, and IPL, is as good a benchmark as any, Sooryavanshi makes a strong case. Besides, India's packed T20I calendar after IPL could be used to widen the net as many regulars focus on Tests and ODIs. Sooryavanshi's swinging blade has met only 197 balls (11 IPL matches) so far. By the end of the season, he may have made it easier for selectors with more dazzling displays. Or, bowlers would have left him with a few problems to solve. As Anil Kumble has pointed out, even after 10 years, he will only be 25. So far, it is the bowlers who have faced the pressure. With his scores of 52 (17b), 31 (18b), 39 (14b) and 78 (26b), viewers can't have enough of RR's baby-faced six-hitting machine. His teammates too are in awe. "Cricket is not as easy as he makes it look. You see him bat and feel there is nothing in the wicket," said RR 'keeper Dhruv Jurel. "At this level, everyone is a great player. You are judging talent based on whether they are reducing risk and bringing in more options. That's what Vaibhav is able to do," said Bharucha. The RR camp says Sooryavanshi is a meticulous planner. While he may simply put down his success to replicating what he does in training, the teenager may be masking a few details. "He studies the opposition, makes mental notes of his previous encounters, simulates what to expect in practice sessions and comes best prepared," said a team official. The Sooryavanshi-Bhuvneshwar battle was an encore from last year. He was prepared for short balls and emerged a winner with twin sixes in the fifth over by playing the pull shot. Once off the spotlight, he returns to being a 15-year-old. "Everyone loves having him around," said Parag. "He likes eating stuff, he likes going out and stuff like that, so we make sure we make that available for him." A normal young boy primed for the big stage in cricket....