‘Don’t brand him as the next Sachin Tendulkar’: Dinesh Karthik’s warning to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

Former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik has cautioned against comparing Rajasthan Royals youngster Vaibhav Sooryavanshi with Sachin Tendulkar, saying the teenager will face various challenges in his career.The left-arm pacer, who plays for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League 2026, has scored 579 runs in 13 matches and currently leads the run-scoring charts with a strike rate of 236.32.“What Vaibhav is doing is very special but I don’t want people to label him as another Sachin because he is only 15 and doing what he is doing. I think what Sachin has done has been extraordinary. Vaibhav’s challenges will be completely different.”“Sachin’s challenges would be the same on the field as off the field, but Vaibhav’s challenges will definitely be more off the field because he has a lot of cricketing skills and will deal with everything that comes outside the sport,” Karthik said in an upcoming episode of the Quest Talk podcast, as quoted by news agency IANS.Karthik, who is currently the batting coach and mentor of defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru, also spoke about how the IPL has changed since its inception in 2008.“The IPL, from its inception to what it is today, is a completely different animal and it’s like the sport has grown on steroids because a lot of things have changed.“The amount of data and matrices used has been quite phenomenal; it’s the fastest growing format ever and it’s a lifestyle provider for a lot of people. And it seems to be a very strong career option for any young boy or girl who chooses to play the sport. And in a very short time, it’s competing with other sports tournaments in the world,” he added.