Jayasuriya urges freedom for 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi at ISCL jersey launch

On October 31, 2026, former Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya told reporters at the jersey launch of Indian Softball Cricket League teams Mumbai Royals and Maharashtra Super Strikers that India should give 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi the freedom to play his natural game rather than load him with expectations.

Jayasuriya described Sooryavanshi as a long-term prospect and said nurturing the youngster would benefit Indian cricket. "He has a long way to go but he is a good future for India. Let him play his natural game and let him do his work and it will be a good investment for Indian cricket," Jayasuriya said, adding that giving Sooryavanshi space to express himself would be important for his development.

The former Sri Lanka opener pointed to India's broad batting resources and highlighted Abhishek Sharma for his versatility. "(They are all) talented cricketers, they are playing well. India has got the talent and he is playing good cricket at the moment," Jayasuriya said, and on Abhishek: "There are quite a few Indian players who have been doing well, good to see them, they are talented and they work hard and are playing well. He (Abhishek) is an all-round player, you cannot say anything in specific is strong - he is an all-round player. He can play in any part of the park so that is a good thing," he added.

Jayasuriya expressed confidence in Sri Lanka's preparation ahead of their white-ball tour of India in December. "It's a good confidence (booster) for the Sri Lankan team which is doing well before they come to India. The confidence is high, they are playing well and I hope they will do well in India too," he said.

Sri Lanka's recent successful chase of 430 against England, the second-highest successful run chase in ODI history, was cited as evidence of batting dominance in the white-ball game. Jayasuriya welcomed that trend, saying: "It's very good to see that it is happening and players are getting runs on the board and chasing it, which is good for cricket," he said.

He also warned that growing batting confidence was increasing pressure on bowlers and pointed to changes in playing conditions and regulations as contributing factors. "Teams and players are getting more and more confident and that is the key. Anything is possible these days and it is good to see that teams are putting runs on the board and even chasing, but I can see that is also putting the bowlers under pressure," he said, and Jayasuriya noted alterations to conditions and rules were affecting white-ball cricket's evolution.

Sri Lanka will face Pakistan in the final of the ongoing tri-series, which also features England, and are scheduled to tour India for white-ball matches in December.