Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Compared To Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli As Cricket World Goes Ga-Ga

Teen sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi possesses "god gifted talent and mindset" like that of Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and Sunil Gavaskar, says 1983 World Cup winner Madan Lal, who advocates bringing the 15-year-old to the national team fold as soon as possible. Lal, however, said that Sooryavanshi has to establish himself in Test cricket as well if he is to be bracketed with legends like Tendulkar. "He (Sooryavanshi) is extremely talented. Truly has a God gifted talent and mindset like Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar," Madan Lal told PTI in an exclusive interview on Monday.

"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," the former all rounder said.

Sooryavanshi was named the most valuable player in the just-concluded IPL. He topped the batting chart with 776 runs from 16 innings at an average of 48.50 and a stunning strike rate of 237.30, hitting one century and five fifties to win the Orange Cap. He surpassed West Indian Chris Gayle's previous IPL record of maximum number of sixes (59) in a season, as he smashed 72 maximums in IPL 2026.

Lal said Sooryavanshi was as good as any of India's current top three batsmen in T20Is. He also said he feared "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," said Lal, also a former India coach.

On how to groom Sooryavanshi to the next level, Lal said, "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 noted.

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Topics mentioned in this article

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Kapil Dev Sunil Gavaskar Sachin Tendulkar Virat Kohli IPL 2026 Cricket