NEW DELHI: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is 15, and he is already telling grown men to be careful. At Delhi airport, the young cricketer spotted photographers rushing in for a clip and joked, “Reel ke chakkar mein thuk jaoge.” You will get hurt chasing reels.
He had come to the capital with the Indian contingent for a felicitation ceremony with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Cameras were on him the moment he arrived.
He did not push them away. He posed, smiled and kept things easy. But he also asked them to look around and stay safe. The clip went viral soon after, and many people said it was a sensible thing to hear from a teenager.
That is the kind of attention he gets everywhere now. Fans and the media follow him, and he rarely says no to a photo or a video. This time he added a small condition: don’t risk an injury for content.
On Thursday, the ceremony was held at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium. Modi met the athletes from India’s Asian Games 2026 contingent, including the gold-winning cricket team.
“Go back to your schools and your hometowns,” the PM told them, in essence. A short chat with a sportsperson, he said, can push a child towards sport.
He also talked about what sport gives a person: discipline, resilience and perseverance. These help people handle setbacks and stay focused, he said. He closed with his usual line, “Jo Khelega, Woh Khilega”, which means the one who plays will flourish.
