Vaibhav Sooryavanshi emerged as the breakout star of the recently concluded IPL season.
Teenage batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi recently earned his maiden call-up to India's T20I squad on the back of a record-breaking IPL 2026 campaign.
Playing for Rajasthan Royals (RR), the 15-year-old emerged as the youngest Orange Cap winner and Most Valuable Player, hammering 776 runs at an astonishing strike rate of 237.30 with one hundred, five fifties and a record 72 sixes.
With his unprecedented dominance in the IPL, Sooryavanshi received rich praise from legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Kevin Pietersen, Nasser Hussain among others.
Australia’s pace-bowling great Glenn McGrath has now joined the long list of admirers, likening Sooryavanshi’s batting style to the West Indies icons Brian Lara and Garry Sobers.
“You probably look at someone like Brian Lara with that backlift. You look back and Garry Sobers is another one who comes to mind,” McGrath said, as quoted by TOI.
McGrath also expressed his awe for the youngster's IPL heroics, specifically noting his ability to take down elite bowlers without any hesitation.
“He was incredible. Normally players have more fours than sixes, but he had 72 sixes and 63 fours. He’s obviously a powerful hitter and has definitely changed the game.”
“They have no fear, do they? They don’t care whether it’s Pat Cummins bowling. If it’s there, he just hits through it,” the former Australian quick remarked.
While highly impressed, Glenn McGrath expressed interest in seeing how the youngster's technique will hold up against pace and bounce outside the subcontinent.
“If he does go and play in England or Australia, I’d be interested to see how he does there,” McGrath stated.