Ashwin reveals Vaibhav Sooryavanshi mania at home: My parents are his No.1 fans
R Ashwin said Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's surge has made his parents the Rajasthan Royals opener's biggest fans. He said the batter's appeal lies in how strongly he resembles India's street-cricket dream.
R Ashwin has said Vaibhav Sooryavanshi mania has taken over his household, with his parents becoming the Rajasthan Royals opener’s biggest admirers after his second IPL hundred against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday, April 26. Speaking to journalist Vimal Kumar, Ashwin said Sooryavanshi’s rise had struck a chord at home as the young batter continued a remarkable run this season.
Sooryavanshi has been one of the breakout performers of the IPL since his debut and is already in the race for the Orange Cap, with 357 runs from eight matches. Ashwin said his father had taken to praising almost every shot from the opener in a way he had not seen before.
"I have honestly never seen my father admire someone like this before. He keeps watching and saying, “What a shot! Oh wow, amazing! What a player!” after every single shot. I’m telling you, after every shot he plays, my father reacts like that."
"Let me tell you—my parents stay downstairs, and I watch every RR game sitting with them. I’m telling you, they are his number one fans. The way he celebrated too—my mother was saying, “Look at his cheeks, look at his celebration,” and the way she was admiring that young kid, it felt really nice to see," said Sooryavanshi.
Ashwin said the affection for Sooryavanshi came from how familiar he felt to cricket followers in India, like one of the boys seen playing in streets and lanes across the country.
"In every street and lane, kids keep playing cricket just like that. Everyone feels like one of those kids from their own street has gone and made it big. It feels like Vaibhav Suryavanshi is our own street cricketer, like he was just playing in our lane and now he’s out there doing this," said Ashwin.
Ashwin also said his mother was disappointed that Sooryavanshi did not turn his century into an even bigger score after being dismissed lbw.
"After he scored the century and then got out LBW, my mother said, “What was that shot after making 100? Why did he play with such overconfidence?” I told her, “Please leave it, he’s just a kid.”
"For so long she had been watching him with pure admiration, but she wanted him to go even bigger. She was telling me, “KL Rahul made 150, he should also make 150.” I said okay," said Ashwin.
'SOORYAVANSHI KEEPS TICKING ALL BOXES'
Ashwin later joked that Sooryavanshi may have been watching his YouTube channel after he had previously said the Rajasthan Royals opener did not play the reverse sweep much. He said the batter had kept answering every question around his game in his short career so far.
"Last time I had said Vaibhav Suryavanshi doesn’t play the reverse sweep much, so maybe he was trying to show us, “Look, I can play the reverse sweep too. What else do you want?”
"Want him on the leaderboard? Done. Want him to hit the best bowlers in the world for sixes? Done. Tick off Pat Cummins. Tick off Lungi Ngidi. Tick off Jofra Archer after smashing him in the nets. Tick off Jasprit Bumrah after hitting him too. One by one, he keeps ticking every box."
"And I had recently said that Vaibhav Suryavanshi should get more exposure, maybe through first-class cricket first, and that players like Priyansh Arya should also get opportunities. But he seems to be saying, 'No, no, I am ready.'"
"He keeps ticking every mark and is actually telling us, 'I’m ready, don’t worry.' Need a reverse sweep? Done. Need the Orange Cap? I’ll wear it and show you," said Ashwin.
Sooryavanshi’s form has made him one of the central figures of the tournament, and Ashwin’s account of the reaction at home underlined the scale of that appeal. Rajasthan Royals will next face Punjab Kings on April 28.
IPL 2026 | IPL Schedule | IPL Points Table | IPL Player Stats | Purple Cap | Orange Cap | IPL Videos | Cricket News | Live Score
R Ashwin has said Vaibhav Sooryavanshi mania has taken over his household, with his parents becoming the Rajasthan Royals opener’s biggest admirers after his second IPL hundred against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday, April 26. Speaking to journalist Vimal Kumar, Ashwin said Sooryavanshi’s rise had struck a chord at home as the young batter continued a remarkable run this season.
Sooryavanshi has been one of the breakout performers of the IPL since his debut and is already in the race for the Orange Cap, with 357 runs from eight matches. Ashwin said his father had taken to praising almost every shot from the opener in a way he had not seen before.
"I have honestly never seen my father admire someone like this before. He keeps watching and saying, “What a shot! Oh wow, amazing! What a player!” after every single shot. I’m telling you, after every shot he plays, my father reacts like that."
"Let me tell you—my parents stay downstairs, and I watch every RR game sitting with them. I’m telling you, they are his number one fans. The way he celebrated too—my mother was saying, “Look at his cheeks, look at his celebration,” and the way she was admiring that young kid, it felt really nice to see," said Sooryavanshi.
Ashwin said the affection for Sooryavanshi came from how familiar he felt to cricket followers in India, like one of the boys seen playing in streets and lanes across the country.
"In every street and lane, kids keep playing cricket just like that. Everyone feels like one of those kids from their own street has gone and made it big. It feels like Vaibhav Suryavanshi is our own street cricketer, like he was just playing in our lane and now he’s out there doing this," said Ashwin.
Ashwin also said his mother was disappointed that Sooryavanshi did not turn his century into an even bigger score after being dismissed lbw.
"After he scored the century and then got out LBW, my mother said, “What was that shot after making 100? Why did he play with such overconfidence?” I told her, “Please leave it, he’s just a kid.”
"For so long she had been watching him with pure admiration, but she wanted him to go even bigger. She was telling me, “KL Rahul made 150, he should also make 150.” I said okay," said Ashwin.
'SOORYAVANSHI KEEPS TICKING ALL BOXES'
Ashwin later joked that Sooryavanshi may have been watching his YouTube channel after he had previously said the Rajasthan Royals opener did not play the reverse sweep much. He said the batter had kept answering every question around his game in his short career so far.
"Last time I had said Vaibhav Suryavanshi doesn’t play the reverse sweep much, so maybe he was trying to show us, “Look, I can play the reverse sweep too. What else do you want?”
"Want him on the leaderboard? Done. Want him to hit the best bowlers in the world for sixes? Done. Tick off Pat Cummins. Tick off Lungi Ngidi. Tick off Jofra Archer after smashing him in the nets. Tick off Jasprit Bumrah after hitting him too. One by one, he keeps ticking every box."
"And I had recently said that Vaibhav Suryavanshi should get more exposure, maybe through first-class cricket first, and that players like Priyansh Arya should also get opportunities. But he seems to be saying, 'No, no, I am ready.'"
"He keeps ticking every mark and is actually telling us, 'I’m ready, don’t worry.' Need a reverse sweep? Done. Need the Orange Cap? I’ll wear it and show you," said Ashwin.
Sooryavanshi’s form has made him one of the central figures of the tournament, and Ashwin’s account of the reaction at home underlined the scale of that appeal. Rajasthan Royals will next face Punjab Kings on April 28.
IPL 2026 | IPL Schedule | IPL Points Table | IPL Player Stats | Purple Cap | Orange Cap | IPL Videos | Cricket News | Live Score
