Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif has revealed that not facing off-spinners in the IPL 2026 created a problem for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi when he made his debut against England. Sooryavanshi became the youngest Indian player to make his International debut after Sachin Tendulkar.
The youngster was dismissed after scoring 14 runs off just 10 balls when he was stumped by Jos Buttler while facing Will Jacks. Kaif reckons the prodigy batter needs to work on his game while facing the off-spinners.
“I feel the start was okay. He got out because he does not play off-spin a lot. Even when he opened in the IPL, how many times did he get to face an off-spinner? This is the problem. It was his first match, and I will not judge. But he might have to work on this,” Mohammad Kaif said on his YouTube channel.
Kaif recalled that Indian opener Abhishek Sharma struggled to get going against the off-spinners in the 2026 T20 World Cup but later worked on his game.
“Abhishek has become a much better player against the off-spinner. He has shown improvement in his game. Where he had to pause and train for it, he did it. He did it after he got that blow in the World Cup. But this is what I am telling, why wait till the blow? After getting out or losing, you have to work anyway. But a smart person works on this from the start itself,” he explained.
Kaif, who was known for his exemplary fielding, was impressed with the way Vaibhav Sooryavanshi fielded in the second game against England.
“Suryavanshi hits sixes, he has in the IPL also. That is okay. But I was the happiest seeing him field for 20 overs, and he took a difficult catch under pressure. This shows his fielding ability as well. I feel he has the skill to become a good fielder. So I was happy in that sense. He will score runs. That is not the worry. I would say it was a good debut overall,” he said.
The Natwest Trophy final hero added Sooryavanshi should field more in the IPL to get better in this crucial aspect of the game.
“We must make him field more in the IPL. We have already judged that maybe he is not a good fielder and have predetermined him as an impact player. Don’t do that. The coaches in the IPL have the responsibility to improve a young, exciting player in all aspects.”
The third T20I between England and India will be played at Nottingham on Tuesday.
