Vaibhav Sooryavanshi emerged as the breakout star of the recently concluded IPL season. Playing for Rajasthan Royals (RR), the teenage prodigy topped the batting charts with 776 runs at a staggering strike rate of 237.30, including one hundred and five half-centuries.
Impressed with his exploits, former India pacer Madan Lal showered rich praise on Sooryavanshi, citing that the youngster possesses "god gifted talent and mindset" like that of Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and Sunil Gavaskar.
While Lal advocated for Sooryavanshi’s inclusion in the Indian T20I squad, he made it clear that the Bihar lad has to prove his worth in Test cricket as well if he is to be bracketed with the legendary names.
"He (Sooryavanshi) is extremely talented. Truly has a God gifted talent and mindset like Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar," Lal told PTI in an exclusive chat.
"These players come once in a century. But to become great like them, he has to establish himself in Test cricket as well. Playing against Ireland, India A, 3-day matches will groom him well into the core of Indian cricket," he added.
During the IPL 2026, Sooryavanshi dominated high-profile bowlers and shattered major milestones. At just 15 years and 65 days, he set a new IPL record as the youngest Orange Cap winner.
The southpaw became the fastest player in history to score 1000 IPL runs in terms of balls faced (440 balls) and the first to smash 500 powerplay runs in a single edition. He also 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.
As a result, Sooryavanshi swept five major honors at the post-tournament awards ceremony – Most Valuable Player of the Season, Emerging Player of the Season, Super Striker of the Season, Orange Cap winner, and Super Sixes of the Season.
According to Madan Lal, Sooryavanshi was as good as any of India's current top three batters in T20Is. He also reckons some talented players might just get dropped because of Sooryavanshi.
"Sooryavanshi is as good as Abhishek, Sanju and Ishan. But the latter are proven players, he has to prove himself at that level. No one can play or bat like Sooryavanshi. The kind of game he has shown to the world, it's unbelievable. Every coach would want him to play but one has to see the team's balance. He should not be sitting outside and his confidence will go. No question of saving him from anything," Lal stated.
Madan Lal outlined a strategic blueprint for grooming the teenager, saying: "Sooryavanshi is a top talent no doubt, but the bigger question is, how do you groom him into the next level. I would like to judge him only after seeing a longer version of the game."
"What is needed is upgradation and stepping up of the game. Once he is into the scheme of things, it should not be a worry where and in which position he is playing. It's all about combination. I am sure, he will fit in. Let him wait (in the dressing room) if need be. That's also a learning process," he explained.
