You could say Ashwin has put his money where his mouth is when it comes to the 15-year-old. He’s been vocal that Sooryavanshi’s meteoric rise doesn’t have to be confined to T20s and ODIs, which has put some heat on the discussion over who will be India’s next big thing in Tests. But don’t expect him to be an uncritical fan. The old hand has pointed out that the way things are now, you’re hard-pressed to get a young man to put in the hours for long-form cricket when there are quick fixes available. Still, he was plain about it: for the good of the sport, Test cricket ought to be in Sooryavanshi’s future.
Ashwin’s endorsement carries rare weight
There is no mistaking the authority behind his opinion. Back in 2026 at the Cricinfo Honours Awards, he was put in the company of the 25 greatest men’s cricketers of the 21st century, coming in at number 25. When he called time on his career in December 2024, he had 765 wickets to his name in all formats, with only Anil Kumble (953) ahead of him for India. The numbers from the five-day game tell you why you listen to him. His 537 Test wickets are second to Kumble’s 619 in the country. Then there is the fact that he is the one and only with 500 Test wickets and six Test centuries. In terms of a century and a five-wicket haul in the same Test, he has done it four times; only Ian Botham has more with five.
Sooryavanshi’s white-ball surge has changed expectations
If you were watching the IPL in 2026, you saw how Sooryavanshi upended the status quo. Playing for Rajasthan Royals, the 15-year-old made 776 runs with a strike rate to match (237.30), took the Orange Cap and put 72 sixes in the bag in a season, well past the 59 Chris Gayle mustered in 2012. It was a year of high profile for him. Before the IPL, he was already the talk of the town as the Player of the Tournament when India won the 2026 U-19 World Cup. The IPL just put a finer point on it, showing off a mix of fearlessness and consistency that is hard to come by.
What Ashwin wants to see
Put in his own terms, this is how he sees the situation: – Let him play the Test game – You can’t make a player be something they’re not – The system is making the calls for them – It is the top of the tree, but the kids want the white ball He has seen enough at the grassroots to know the type of thinking he is up against. A boy will put in a couple of balls of defence and then be after the next easy run. As far as he is concerned, you can show talent the way, but you can’t pull it along if it doesn’t want to go. The current in the game is too strong for that.
The red-ball dilemma in India
And that is why Sooryavanshi is such a talking point. You can see in his game – the way he handles pressure, the tempo – that he has the stuff to put a Test attack on the back foot. But Ashwin has a word of warning: you can’t put in a lesson if the student isn’t open to it. The onus is on the young one to make the move. In the end, the veteran has a view that is both idealistic and down to earth. “I for one think he should be in the Test team. If you look at what is best for the game, I would say yes,” he put it. “But then again, the ecosystem tells you what has to be done and you are better off going with that.”
What comes next for India’s Test squad
With a voice like Ashwin’s in the room, there will be some talk about when and how to bring him in. But picking a player is only part of it. You also need the will. Should he want to be the best in the red-ball world, the door is open. If not, well, as Ashwin says, you can’t force it. For the moment, you can have it both ways. On one side, a 15-year-old has redefined what is possible in the IPL with 776 runs and 72 maximums. On the other, you have one of India’s finest, with 765 wickets and 6 Test tons, who is convinced the boy belongs in the longer format. Now it is up to him.
