Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has impressed one and all, and that list includes Sachin Tendulkar.
The 15-year-old took IPL 2026 by storm, flaunting his ultra-aggressive batting style as he went about breaking and creating records. Opening the innings for the Rajasthan Royals, the left-handed batter finished the season with 776 runs at a staggering strike rate of 237.31.
Sachin, speaking at an ESPNcricinfo event, endorsed Sooryavanshi’s style of batting. “Everyone is talking about Sooryavanshi, and I watched him bat — it was magnificent. I mean he is something truly special. And not just the ability to hit the ball, but what also fascinated me was the wrist work that he has,” Sachin said.
Sachin also made it clear that the youngster, despite being heavily dependent on bat swing for his big strokes, doesn’t really slog. “To be able to play in all directions of the ground, you need good wrist work. And he is not slogging the ball. He is just picking the line and length earlier than the rest of the guys and he is able to clear the rope comfortably,” Sachin observed.
The iconic cricketer cautioned against ideas of curbing Sooryavanshi’s natural game. “I would tell him to just be himself. There is always a first time. In Test cricket, along with age, he will learn how to deal with various challenges. It’s about having a solution-oriented mindset.
“Problems are always going to be there. Problems will be there till the last day of your career, till the last ball you face. The bowler is asking a question every ball.
“He’s kind of a player who looks very confident, very, very sure of what he wants to do and I would not want to play around with his natural instincts.”