Murali Kartik Identifies Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's One Trait Even Brian Lara Would Have Envied
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has made consistency his hallmark in IPL 2026. His scores so far are 52, 31, 39, 78, 0, 46, 8, 103 and 43.
- Dinesh Karthik compared Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's batting to that of Virender Sehwag and Brian Lara
- Sooryavanshi leads IPL 2026 with 400 runs in nine matches at an average of 44.44
- "Brian Lara would have been pleased had he had Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's power-hitting," Karthik said
Former India cricketer Murali Kartik has weighed in on the comparisons between West Indies batting great Brian Lara and 15-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Speaking on Cricbuzz, Kartik instead likened Sooryavanshi's fearless batting approach to that of former India opener Virender Sehwag. Sooryavanshi has been in sensational form this IPL season and currently holds the Orange Cap, having amassed 400 runs in nine matches at an average of 44.44. Kartik highlighted a specific trait in Sooryavanshi's game that he believes even a legend like Lara would have loved to possess during his playing days.
"Brian Lara would have been pleased had he had Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's power-hitting. He was a genius, but his backlift was slightly different. His was high as well, but when Sooryavanshi brings the bat down, he generates a lot of power. His head is also so still. Most of his shots are not free-flowing or flourishing. He just packs a punch," said Kartik.
Kartik further suggested that Sooryavanshi remains unfazed by the reputation of his opponents, showing a distinct willingness to take on and dominate the world's best bowlers. He noted that this "fearless" brand of cricket mirrors Virender Sehwag in his prime.
"The most important thing is that he's young. Hand-eye coordination is amazing. In terms of fearlessness, he is a lot like Viru [Sehwag]. He was the same. The bigger the bowler, the more Sehwag wanted to hit him into space. This kid is not telling us, but from inside he must go like Hazlewood, Bumrah, Sunil Narine, I will smash them all," he added.
Sooryavanshi has made consistency his hallmark in IPL 2026. His scores so far are 52, 31, 39, 78, 0, 46, 8, 103 and 43.
He is the first player in IPL 2026 to reach the 400-run mark. He has one ton and two fifties so far. On Tuesday, Sooryavanshi slammed a 16-ball 43 for Rajasthan Royals against Punjab Kings.
Rajasthan Royals
West Indies Cricket Team
Virender Sehwag
Dinesh Karthik