Manoj Tiwary issues stern warning to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi after Sri Lanka A controversy

The Vaibhav Sooryavanshi controversy refuses to die down. Former Indian cricketer Manoj Tiwary has now sent a strong warning to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi following his on-field drama in Sri Lanka, saying the road ahead will not be easy for the 15-year-old batter.

Vaibhav is already seen as one of India’s most exciting young talents, and he has been in the spotlight for the past nearly three months after taking the IPL 2026 by storm. But with fame at such a young age comes extra pressure, attention, and also tough situations on the field.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi faces early career storm after Sri Lanka incident

The fresh controversy broke out after the India A vs Sri Lanka A match in Dambulla, where emotions went high following a close finish. During the post-match moments, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was involved in a heated exchange with Sri Lanka A player Vishen Halambage.

Everyone is now discussing the incident, and many feel the young batter should have handled the situation more calmly, especially at his age and stage of his career. Even Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s India exit was demanded after an ugly on-field fight in Sri Lanka.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi must be ready for Sledging: Manoj Tiwary

And now Manoj Tiwary warned that this could just be the beginning of challenges for the Bihar lad. The former Indian batter believes that opposition teams will try to target Vaibhav more because of the jealousy.

In his strong message to the left-hander, Tiwary said that the talented young players often face sledging and mental pressure from opponents, and Vaibhav must learn how to stay calm in such situations. He also urged the BCCI to prepare Vaibhav accordingly.

Manoj Tiwary was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz: “Vaibhav Suryavanshi has to understand a little. There will always be verbal battles against us on the pitch, because there are many countries that are jealous of us. So, they will provoke you.”

“The way Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s IPL campaign went and the way he is moving forward and getting everything, so they will poke him more. The way a 15-year-old is progressing, they are jealous of them. So, we have to prepare him for it.”

Calm like Rahul Dravid or aggressive like Virat Kohli? Tiwary’s big advice to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

The cricket pundit also stressed that the youngster must decide what kind of image he wants to build in cricket, saying emotions are not a bad thing, but they must be controlled and used in the right way; otherwise, they will eventually hurt him and his game.

He further said, “It is up to him what kind of image he wants to create in the cricketing world. One path is like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, who are generally calm people; they answer through performances. The other route is like Virat Kohli, people who are aggressive. Now he needs to decide how people want to perceive him. Anger is important, but it is important to point it in the right direction.”

Manoj Tiwary sends strong warning to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

Tiwary said that Vaibhav must realize what he has done because no one wants to see an emerging player be involved in ‘pushing and shoving.’ However, he admitted that the teenager will understand the conduct in the field with experience, but he should not break the game’s rules.

He also feels that everything happening around him in the last few days may have affected his focus. Vaibhav has so far scored 117 runs in four matches for India A on the Sri Lanka tour. However, Vaibhav shone in the field with sensational flying catch against Afghanistan A.

Tiwary signed off by saying, “People are watching him, and his behavior will be noted. He scored only 30-40 runs today, so it is affecting him, as he did not score as much he should have.”