Is 15-year-old IPL wonderkid ready to play for India?

What makes Indian sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi so effective and what could be next for the 15-year-old after his Indian Premier League success? By Matthew Henry BBC Sport Journalist Few have had a better view of the development of cricket's 15-year-old sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi than former England all-rounder Mike Yardy. Yardy was in the opposing dugout when Sooryavanshi, then aged 12, played for India against England in an under-19 series. He was coach once more when the precocious left-hander toured England last summer - Sooryavanshi scored 143 in the fourth 50-over match in Worcester - and again when the teenager hammered an incredible 175 from 80 balls against England in the Under-19 World Cup final in February. "Not really, no," Yardy tells BBC Sport.

"The talent he has got, I don't know what to predict because I have never seen anything quite like it," Yardy says. Any suggestion the 12 months of white-ball success leading to the Under-19 World Cup final knock were some sort of fluke for Sooryavanshi has been banished at this year's Indian Premier League. With a high yet unusual and whippy bat swing, his hands move away from his body as the bowler releases. He generates his power as the bat swishes back through the line to make contact. It led former England captain Michael Vaughan to muse this week whether Sooryavanshi could become the "greatest striker of a cricket ball of all time".

"His bat swing is quite unique," says former India international Deep Dasgupta, another who has had a front row seat for the teenager's rise, through his commentary at the IPL. "It is not a taught bat swing. Batters go straight up and straight down - a linear path. This is more circular and wristy." Image gallery Skip image gallery 1 of 5 Previous image Next image Slide 1 of 5 , Vaibhav Sooryavanshi taking strike in stance , Sooryavanshi begins in a conventional left-hander's stance End of image gallery The 61 sixes Sooryavanshi has managed in 17 IPL innings are only three fewer than former England captain Eoin Morgan managed in 75 knocks in the tournament. You have got to have an extraordinary gift to do that." As well as his century in this year's IPL, Sooryavanshi has also made 52 from 17 balls against Chennai Super Kings, a 26-ball 78 against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru, plus four other 30-plus scores in his 10 innings.

"A lot of people have started targeting the stumps," Dasgupta says. "If you have a whippy or circular bat swing like his, the downswing is important. "When the bat swing does not come down straight and comes down diagonally, there is a chance there will be a gap between bat and pad. It was one of the few occasions bowlers have tested the teenager with significant swing in this year's tournament. "He will obviously get better with experience and practice but those are the areas where he might want to look at and work on." Despite those struggles, both Dasgupta and Yardy are convinced Sooryavanshi has the talent to successfully play red-ball cricket in the future.

"He is doing things now that players double his age are doing," Yardy says. In June, England host India for a five-match T20 series. Could Sooryavanshi make the squad of the back-to-back world champions? "If players are physically strong enough and mentally can deal with situations it is not a worry with age really." What makes Indian sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi so effective and what could be next for the 15-year-old after his Indian Premier League success? Is 15-year-old IPL wonderkid ready to play for India?