Teenage batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has become the toast of the nation for his record-breaking performances this year.

Sooryavanshi earned the Player-of-the-Tournament award at the start of the year, helping India clinch their record-extending sixth ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup title. The 15-year-old carried his sensational form into the IPL 2026.

Playing for Rajasthan Royals (RR), Sooryavanshi won the Orange Cap and was named the Most Valuable Player for scoring 776 runs in 16 innings at a staggering strike rate of 237.30, including one hundred, five half-centuries and a record 72 sixes in an IPL season.

Subsequently, the southpaw made history by becoming the youngest player ever selected to India's senior squad, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar's 36-year-old record. He has been picked for the away T20I series against Ireland and England, as well as the 2026 Asian Games.

Before travelling to Ireland for his maiden series with the senior national team, Sooryavanshi represented India A in a tri-nation A series in Sri Lanka. He registered modest scores of 14, 44, 21 and 38 during the round-robin stage, but lit up the final with a knock of 29-ball 94 against Sri Lanka A, including a record 11-ball fifty, paving the way for India A’s title clinching 66-run victory.

Amid the hype around Sooryavanshi, former India skipper Dilip Vengsarkar also showered rich praise on the wonder kid from Bihar, hailing his bat swing and hand-eye coordination.

"I am sure he will get the opportunity, and once he gets it, he will grab it with both hands because he is a very good player. He is just unbelievable," Vengsarkar told PTI in an exclusive interview.

"He has tremendous potential. Some of the shots he plays are unreal. His batsmanship is completely different. He can clear the ground with his bat swing and hand-eye coordination. In T20 format, he has been amazing."

When asked about the prospects of Sooryavanshi transitioning into India's Test or longer-format setups, Vengsarkar said: "It's very difficult to say because he is currently in the T20 format. I have not seen him play in a longer format. But I'm sure he will do well in that, once picked. We will have to wait and see how he plays in the longer format, which is very important."

He advised the youngster to emulate legendary Sachin Tendulkar's discipline and maturity to succeed in the longer formats of cricket.

"When I watched Sachin Tendulkar play, he looked mentally matured for his age. He did extremely well in inter-school tournaments in Mumbai, besides club cricket where he scored consistently," Vengsarkar stated.

"He was mentally prepared to play a higher level of cricket, (so) that is how we picked him. He was so disciplined, passionate, and focused, and that is a great example for the youngsters like Vaibhav to emulate," he further remarked.

Vengsarkar backed Shreyas Iyer, who has been appointed India’s new T20I captain, to continue leading from the front.

"He (likes to) lead from the front as he is doing very well as a batsman, and that allows him to call the shots as a captain. He is a very thoughtful captain, and he will do well," Vengsarkar said.

He threw his weight behind Sarfaraz Khan and Devdutt Padikkal to get more opportunities in Test cricket.

"I was really impressed by Sarfaraz Khan and Devdutt Padikkal in the India-England Test match in Dharamsala a couple of years ago. They had an excellent partnership at a very crucial stage of the Test match. They showed excellent temperament and excellent technique," Vengsarkar said.

"Sarfaraz is a good player. There is no question about it. But you cannot take a place for granted and you have to be fit all the time."

Vengsarkar noted that injured all-rounder Hardik Pandya knows how to bring the best out of himself, while adding that Rohit Sharma deserves to make his own choice about playing the 2027 ODI World Cup.

"He (Pandya) knows his body very well; how he can utilise that (and) how he can bring the best from himself. It depends a lot on fitness and focus," Vengsarkar said.

"He (Rohit) has done so well for India and for himself. It's up to him. He's been playing international cricket for the last (almost) 20 years and I'm sure he knows the best (on) how to go about things," he added.

(With PTI Inputs)