Sachin Tendulkar Hails Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as a Truly Special Talent

Dr. Annelies De Vos · 2026-05-31

Sachin Tendulkar has joined the growing list of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's admirers, calling the 15-year-old Rajasthan Royals batter "something really special" after a record-breaking and eye-catching IPL 2026 campaign that has captured the attention of the entire cricket world. Tendulkar made these remarks at the Cricinfo Honours in Mumbai, where he was himself recognized as the best men's international batter of the 21st century. Despite the spotlight being on his own legacy, it was his words about the teenage sensation that grabbed most of the headlines. ### Sooryavanshi's IPL 2026 Numbers Were Simply Historic Sooryavanshi finished the IPL 2026 season with 776 runs at a strike rate of 237.31, while also hitting 72 sixes — surpassing Chris Gayle's long-standing record of 59 maximums in a single season. Those are not just impressive numbers for a teenager. Those are numbers that would make any batter in world cricket sit up and take notice. The performance generated enormous debate around his readiness for international cricket, with fans and pundits calling for his India debut almost immediately after the tournament ended. Tendulkar watched those innings carefully. And what stood out to him was not just the power, but the technique behind it. "Everyone is talking about Sooryavanshi, and I watched him bat — it was magnificent," Tendulkar said. "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. 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."  ### Tendulkar Warns Against Overloading the Teenager With Advice While the praise was unambiguous, Tendulkar was equally firm about one thing — leave the boy alone to play his natural game. He said overloading Sooryavanshi with too many instructions could disrupt the very instincts that make him such an exciting prospect. For Tendulkar, the signal between seeing the ball and responding to it is something that should not be cluttered with too much external noise. "The way he sees the ball and the way he responds to that, if that signal is interrupted — if you put a lot of hurdles in between that by telling him multiple things — that's where the real challenge would be," Tendulkar said. He added that Sooryavanshi looks "very confident" and "very sure" of what he wants to do, and that he would not want to interfere with those natural instincts. His message was clear— the youngster does not need to be fixed; he needs space. ### Test Cricket Future Is Possible, But Patience Is Key The question everyone wants answered is whether Sooryavanshi is ready for Test cricket. Tendulkar addressed it carefully, especially with BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar seated nearby at the event, which made him deliberately cautious about making any direct selection recommendations. "Not just me, but everyone would want to see him playing Test cricket at some stage. I don't know when that is going to happen," Tendulkar said. He urged fans and experts to stop putting constant pressure on the teenager and instead leave selection decisions to those responsible for making them. "An exciting talent needs encouragement. If he's doing well, then we need to encourage and support him and enjoy above all," Tendulkar said. The broader point Tendulkar was making is one that Indian cricket has not always been good at — letting young talent breathe. Sooryavanshi has done the hard part by performing at an extraordinary level. The job now, according to the greatest batter the game has seen, is to simply let him be himself. For more cricket news and updates, follow JeetWin Blog!