Sooryavanshi took the cricketing world by storm with his dazzling exploits in IPL 2026.
Batting legend Sachin Tendulkar hailed the 15-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as "truly special" following his record-shattering Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season.
Playing for Rajasthan Royals (RR), the teenage sensation capped off a magnificent campaign where he claimed the Orange Cap with 776 runs at a staggering strike rate of 237.30, including one hundred and five half-centuries.
Along the way, Sooryavanshi broke Chris Gayle's long-standing record for most sixes in an IPL season (59 sixes set in 2012) by hammering 72 sixes across 16 matches.
Speaking at Cricinfo Honours in Mumbai on Saturday (May 30), Tendulkar highlighted that Sooryavanshi's talent goes beyond raw power, praising his excellent wrist work and ability to hit the ball to all parts of the ground.
"Everyone is talking about Sooryavanshi, and I watched him bat - it was magnificent," Tendulkar said. "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.
"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."
While Tendulkar would love to see Sooryavanshi eventually play Test cricket, he firmly stated that the youngster should not be rushed.
The Master Blaster also urged the cricketing community to let Sooryavanshi play with his "natural instincts" instead of overwhelming him with technical or tactical advice.
"I would tell him to just be himself," Tendulkar said. "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. Now, what solutions do you find? 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.
"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. I would give him the freedom to go out and bat the way he does. Along with time, he will learn to deal with other challenges of the game.
"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. But an exciting talent needs encouragement. And if he's doing well, then we need to encourage and support him and enjoy above all and not put pressure on him constantly, you know, he should play this, or he shouldn't be doing this, or he should be picked in whatever squad. Leave that to the guys [selectors] who are responsible for that."
Following his stellar domestic form, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been included in India's 30-member probables list for the upcoming Asian Games.
(With ESPNCricinfo Inputs)