Vaibhav Sooryavanshi reminds Kapil Dev of 16-year-old Sachin Tendulkar

Batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi reminds Kapil Dev of a young Sachin Tendulkar, with the former India captain praising the teenager’s extraordinary talent and warning against putting too much pressure on him too soon.

Sooryavanshi has emerged as one of the brightest young talents in world cricket and is on the verge of making his debut for India. The 15-year-old was recently named in India’s T20I squads touring Ireland and England after a remarkable rise over the past year.

The youngster is often compared to Sachin Tendulkar, who made his India debut at the age of 16 before becoming one of the greatest batsmen the game has seen. Kapil sees similarities between the two, but believes that Sooryavanshi’s real challenge will begin in the coming years.

“Vaibhav is too young. But yes, he is a special talent, period. He is a 16-year-old boy and all he has is cricket. Once he reaches 20-22, we will judge. But his talent is extraordinary, no doubt. At 16, he is like Sachin, but can he play for so long? He must have come a long way,” Kapil told The Indian Express.

The comparison with Tendulkar comes at a time when expectations around Sooryavanshi continue to rise. Thirty-seven years after Tendulkar made his international debut as a teenager, Sooryavanshi is now on the verge of becoming the youngest player to represent India.

The left-handed batsman earned his first national call-up after impressing the selectors with his performances in domestic and age-group cricket. While he endured a difficult tri-series in Sri Lanka recently, he answered his critics with a brilliant 94 in the final, reminding everyone of his immense potential.

The innings strengthened his case ahead of India’s T20I assignments against Ireland and England, where he could make his international debut.

While much of the focus was on Sooryavanshi, Kapil said he hoped the entire Indian team would perform well rather than focusing on just one player.

“I should say good luck to the Indian team. It’s not just about him, it’s about the whole Indian team and every player. And he’s a part of it,” Kapil said.

on Tuesday an emotional Sooryavanshi got his first Indian jerseyanother significant moment in his rapid rise through the ranks.

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Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

June 24, 2026 1:41 PM IST