Vaibhav Sooryavanshi humbled by Sachin Tendulkar's praise: It motivates me

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi reacted to legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar after his explosive knock took Rajasthan Royals into the IPL 2026 Season 2 Qualifiers. The left-handed batsman smashed 97 off just 29 balls, including five fours and 12 sixes, as Royals beat Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator at Mullanpur on Wednesday, May 27.

After the innings, Tendulkar praised Sooryavanshi’s excellent swing with the bat and his ability to clear his front foot to create space for his leg-directed deliveries, saying it allowed him to play his natural attacking game.

Also Read: Watch: Kavya Maran Congratulates Vaibhav Sooryavanshi After Eliminator Blitz

Speaking to Dhruv Jurel in an interview recorded by BCCI, Sooryavanshi said that Tendulkar’s praise was special and motivating. He added that he was initially unaware of the tweet and described it as a huge honor and a proud moment to be honored by the ‘God of Cricket’.

“I feel really good sir. It motivates me. You (Dhruv Jurel) just told me about it. I wasn’t even aware of it. And of course everyone knows he is the ‘God of Cricket’. If he tweeted something like that, it’s a great asset for us to have a legend like him tweeting about us. Of course it’s private.

MY CONFIDENCE IS ALWAYS HIGH

Sooryavanshi dominated from the start against the Sunrisers, racing to a 16-ball half-century to equal the record for the fastest fifty in an IPL knockout match. The youngster burst into the SRH attack, smashing three consecutive sixes off skipper Pat Cummins and came close to breaking Chris Gayle’s record for fastest IPL century just three runs short before falling.

After the match, Sooryavanshi said that his confidence is always high and that he tries to play according to the demands of the team. He added that he is capable of pitching long innings or hitting big shots depending on the situation, stressing that helping the team remains his top priority.

“My confidence is always high. I wanted to give us a good start and finish it off because if the ball falls nicely on my bat, the longer I play, the more it benefits the team. That’s all I thought about playing today,” said Sooryavanshi.

“I know what kind of game I have. If the team needs me to play a long innings, I can do that. If the team needs sixes, I can do that too. I try to play to the situation and back up.”

“A year ago, I didn’t know that I would be playing in the IPL so early. But it feels great to have broken the record. But I am focused on what I can do for the team,” added Sooryavanshi.

The youngster also surpassed Chris Gayle’s long-standing record for sixes in a single IPL season as his tally reached a high of 65. Sooryavanshi currently holds the Orange Cap in IPL 2026 with 680 runs from 15 matches at an average of 45.33 and a staggering strike rate of 242.85, including one century and four fifties.

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Issued by:

sabyasachi chowdhury

Published on:

May 28, 2026 1:26 PM IST