'Vaibhav Sooryavanshi not professional': Jitesh Sharma takes dig at 14-year-old

'Vaibhav Sooryavanshi not professional': Jitesh Sharma takes dig at 14-year-old

Ahead of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, batter Jitesh Sharma has shared an interesting insight about his India A teammate, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

In a recent podcast with AB de Villiers, Sharma humorously said the 14-year-old is "not a professional."

Jitesh, who will play for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2026, explained that while everyone is trying to make Sooryavanshi more professional, he doesn't think that will ever happen.

What did Sharma say?

Sharma, who shared the dressing room with Sooryavanshi during their India A stint at the 2025 Rising Stars Asia Cup in November, said that the teen prodigy is "not professional" off the field.

He humorously added that he is trying his best to keep Sooryavanshi away from eating ice cream at night.

"He will be professional on the field, but off the field, he won't. I'm trying my best, asking him not to eat ice cream at night," Sharma added.

Sooryavanshi's rise to fame

Sooryavanshi, who will continue to play for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, had a stellar debut last year.

He became the youngest centurion in both IPL and T20 history. His 35-ball ton against Gujarat Titans was the fastest by an Indian in the IPL.

The 14-year-old then broke several records throughout the year, especially powering India to the Under-19 World Cup title.

Sooryavanshi wants to break this record

Ahead of the impending season, Sooryavanshi has already set his sights on breaking Chris Gayle's long-standing IPL record.

The West Indies legend, who hammered an unbeaten 175 for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors India in 2013, has the highest individual score in the tournament.

In a recent interaction with Harsha Bhogle at the BCCI's annual awards ceremony, Sooryavanshi expressed his desire to surpass Gayle's remarkable feat.