Watch: India Stars Fail To Recognise AI-Generated Vaibhav Sooryavanshi In Viral 1980s Makeover

Varun Chakravarthy, Nitish Reddy and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.© X/@BCCI

With a wave of nostalgia taking over social media, people are using artificial intelligence to imagine themselves in the 1980s. The Indian cricket team has also joined the trend. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared AI-generated images of the Indian players, recreating the fashion, hairstyles, and photography styles associated with the 1980s, and recorded their reactions. As the players went through the pictures, they failed to recognise the AI-generated image of 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

Watch the video here:

— BCCI (@BCCI) September 12, 2026

The popular photo-editing trend going viral has seen users turn ordinary selfies into retro portraits that look as though they were pulled straight from an old family album or a Bollywood studio shoot.

The Indian cricket team players will be in action from Sunday, with the first T20I of the three-match series against Afghanistan.

India face a dilemma over whether to opt for 'Boy Wonder' Sooryavanshi's no-holds-barred aggression or stick with the experience and unmatched flair of Sanju Samson as they take on Afghanistan in the opening game.

While Sooryavanshi was drafted into the playing XI in England at the expense of Samson, it is only fair to mention that, by the last match of the series, the 15-year-old had to make way for his senior partner's return.

It is not a straightforward choice, although Samson-Abhishek Sharma is a more stable T20I pair that has done fairly well. One can only hope that Gambhir and skipper Shreyas Iyer will give equal chances to both Samson and Sooryavanshi, if possible, before finalising the XI for the Asian Games matches in Japan.

During Friday's evening net session, Samson did look slightly more in control compared to Sooryavanshi, who got a masterclass from Jasprit Bumrah on how to face quick bowling with movement off the surface. It could have been a case of the youngster taking time to adjust after playing three back-to-back red-ball games.

Also, Sooryavanshi could take the Afghan attack to the cleaners, with none of the opposition bowlers remotely close to Bumrah's quality. The pace at which they bowl could also suit Sooryavanshi's minimal footwork and stand-and-deliver game.

In Samson's case, dropping him in England after just three failures in a high-risk format seemed unfair. But the Sooryavanshi euphoria had reached such a stage that the team management had to listen to popular demand, despite its stated resolve to remain insulated from outside noise.

But there could be a scenario where both Sooryavanshi and Samson end up playing if Ishan Kishan, who had a back injury scare during Friday evening's net session, is ruled out of the game.

(With PTI Inputs)

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