‘No Jealousy’: Dhruv Jurel Reveals What Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Does That Others ‘Can’t Even Dream Of’

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi may not yet be an established name in India’s Playing XI, but at just 15, the teenager has already grown into a phenomenon that goes far beyond Indian cricket.In less than two years, Sooryavanshi has turned into a national sensation and increasingly a global sporting attraction. Among 15-year-old athletes, only Lamine Yamal may have a bigger following, largely due to soccer’s global reach. However, in cricket, Sooryavanshi’s popularity is a league in itself.The teenager has already shared the dressing room with several members of the T20 World Cup-winning Indian team, while his rapid rise has inevitably raised questions about the competition for placement.Sanju Samson might be seen as Sooryavanshi’s most direct competition, but Dhruv Jurel, who captains the youngster and is making a mark in Test cricket himself, sees no sense in comparing the two.For Jurel, the comparison only makes sense when the players have similar skill sets. Sooryavanshi, in his opinion, operates on a level that is difficult to even comprehend.“He deserves all the credit. What he’s doing is something you can’t even dream of. A 15-year-old kid who breaks everyone. He’s just WOW. Honestly, there’s no jealousy. No comparison. What can be compared? It’s beyond comprehension. The comparison happens when you think you can do something like that, it makes life easier for an incredible, incredible person. He’s too good. He keeps breaking us in the Powerplay and when you watch him, you feel like if we get a chance, we should start batting too because he just keeps smashing,” Jurel told Aakash Chopra on the former Indian Prime Minister’s podcast.Jurel is also enjoying a prolific run himself. He recently ended the series as India’s second-highest run-scorer behind Devdutt Padikkal and third-highest overall, amassing 173 runs.He had one fifty and one hundred on his account. Initially, Jurel battled for a place with Pant in the Test playing XI, but later the management decided to play him as a specialist batsman.