Our Bureau
Mumbai
Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar has endorsed Rajasthan Royals teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for Test cricket, but with a clear condition: do not rush the 15-year-old prodigy before he is ready. Speaking at the Cricinfo Honours event in Mumbai, where Tendulkar was named the greatest men’s international batsman of the 21st century, the batting icon made his remarks in front of BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar.
Sooryavanshi, who became the youngest IPL debutant and youngest centurion in T20 cricket after joining Rajasthan Royals as a teenager, has sparked intense debate following his stellar IPL 2026 season. The teenager scored two mature knocks in the 90s during the playoffs under contrasting conditions, demonstrating ability beyond mere strike rate and six-hitting. Tendulkar admitted he initially only watched Sooryavanshi after hearing the growing chatter, but what he saw left him stunned.
“He is something truly special,” Tendulkar said. “Not just the ability to hit the ball, but what also fascinated me was the wrist work that he has. To be able to play in all directions of the ground, you need good wrist work. And he is not slogging the ball. He is just picking the line and length earlier than the rest of the guys.”
While Tendulkar would love to see Sooryavanshi play Test cricket eventually, he warned against burdening the teenager with constant pressure about his India debut. “I would give him the freedom to go out and bat the way he does,” he said. “Along with time, he will learn to deal with other challenges of the game.”
The selectors have already picked Sooryavanshi for the India A tri-series in Sri Lanka next month. Reportedly he is also part of the T20I list submitted for the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya from September 19 to October 4, where he would become India’s youngest-ever debutant if selected.
