‘A matter of pride’: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s priceless reaction to Sachin Tendulkar’s praise

Sachin Tendulkar and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (Image Agency) Vaibhav Sooryavanshi admitted he was left stunned after learning that Sachin Tendulkar praised his breathtaking IPL 2026 Eliminator knock against Sunrisers Hyderabad, which he described as a proud and deeply motivating moment in his young career.The 15-year-old once again lit up the IPL stage with a breathtaking innings of 97 off just 29 balls to help Rajasthan Royals crush SRH by 47 runs to move a step closer to the final. Sooryavanshi smashed 12 sixes during his explosive stay at the crease and came within three runs of Chris Gayle’s record for the fastest century in IPL history. His fearless attack left the cricketing world in awe, with even Sachin Tendulkar taking to the X to appreciate the youngster’s extraordinary shooting and attacking approach.

by Sachin Tendulkar

“Vaibhava Sooryavanshi’s bat swing was excellent. Even more remarkable is how beautifully he clears his front foot to create space for balls aimed at leg. This freedom allows him to play the way he plays. That innings was nothing short of spectacular!” Tendulkar tweeted.The praise from the batting legend turned out to be an emotional moment for Sooryavanshi, who revealed that he was unaware of the tweet until teammate Dhruv Jurel mentioned it during an interview with the IPL website.Reacting to Tendulkar’s words, the teenager admitted that it was a proud and motivating feeling for him to receive recognition from someone he considers the “god of cricket”.“I feel really good sir. It motivates me. You just told me about it, I wasn’t even aware of it. And of course everyone knows that he is the God of cricket. If he tweeted something like that, it’s a great benefit for us to have a legend like him tweeting about us. So, of course, it’s a matter of pride,” Sooryavanshi said in a video on the IPL website.Sooryavanshi’s innings against Hyderabad once again underlined why he is the breakout superstar of IPL 2026. The left-handed opener tore apart SRH’s bowling attack from the outset, smashing Pat Cummins for an early six in a row before unleashing utter destruction in the following overs.He raced to a half-century in just 16 balls and later broke Chris Gayle’s long-standing record of sixes in a single IPL season. With 65 sixes already this year, the teenager has turned Rajasthan Royals into one of the most dangerous batting units in the competition.The knock also moved him to the top of the Orange Cap standings. Sooryavanshi has now scored 680 runs from 15 innings at an average of 45.33 and a staggering strike rate of 242.85.Despite the growing attention and records, the youngster insisted his focus remains simple.“I think a little bit, not a lot. Try to keep things simple. I try to play with good intentions and dominate the bowler. I want to put pressure on the bowler. I was focused (today) on contributing for the team, now I’m focused on how to win the trophy.”Rajasthan Royals will now take on Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2, with a place in the IPL 2026 final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on the line.