‘I will’: Samson reveals Sooryavanshi’s fearless chat with Dravid ahead of IPL debut

As the Indian Premier League 2026 approaches, young sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi once again grabbed attention after Sanju Samson revealed a funny behind-the-scenes story from the teenager’s debut season with Rajasthan Royals. The moment was shared during the BCCI Naman Awards ceremony, where several Indian players came together to celebrate the country’s recent achievements in cricket.

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Samson recalled a conversation between Sooryavanshi and former India coach Rahul Dravid on the eve of the youngster’s IPL debut.

Fearless response ahead of IPL debut

According to Samson, RR coach Rahul Dravid had called the teenage batsman for a meeting before his first IPL match to discuss how he should approach the game. Dravid wanted to guide the youngster and asked him about his plans for the match. However, Sooryavanshi’s response surprised everyone in the room.

“I was actually there at the meeting,” Samson said. “Rahul Sir called him into the room and said, ‘Sanju, we have to talk to him. He is a very small child; we have to explain to him how to do it,'” he added.

“Then Rahul Sir asked him, ‘Vaibhav, what is the plan?’ Vaibhav replied, ‘Kuch nahi Sir, hum to khelenge (Nothing special, Sir. I will just play).’ Rahul Sir asked again, ‘What is your game plan?’”

“Vaibhav said, ‘Agar hume pehla ball mila to hum pehla hi uda denge’ (if the first ball is in my zone, I will hit it in the air). And that’s exactly what he did. He is playing his own video game,” Samson added.