‘Can he go the distance?’ – Kapil Dev sets challenge for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

Former India captain and World Cup-winning legend Kapil Dev has lavished praise on teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, describing him as a special talent while urging caution against making premature judgments about his long-term career.

Sooryavanshi has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the past year and is now on the verge of making his senior India debut after being named in the squad for the upcoming T20I tour of Ireland. The 15-year-old’s rapid ascent has drawn inevitable comparisons with batting great Sachin Tendulkar, who burst onto the international scene as a teenager and went on to become one of the greatest batters in cricket history.

While Kapil acknowledged the youngster’s immense promise, he stressed that the real assessment of Sooryavanshi’s career will come only after he progresses through the next phase of his development.

“Vaibhav is too young. But yes, he is a special talent and full stop. He is a 16-year-old kid and everything he has is only cricket. Once he reaches 20-22, we will judge. But no doubt his talent is extraordinary. He is like Sachin at the age of 16 but can he play that long? He had to go a long way,” Kapil told The Indian Express.

The youngster’s journey over the last few months has been nothing short of extraordinary. He first grabbed headlines with a match-winning knock of 175 in the Under-19 World Cup final, guiding India to the title and cementing his status as one of the country’s brightest prospects.

His momentum continued in the Indian Premier League, where he emerged as one of the standout performers for the Rajasthan Royals. The teenage batter amassed 776 runs to claim the Orange Cap, becoming the youngest player in IPL history to achieve the feat. He also rewrote the record books by surpassing Chris Gayle’s mark for the most sixes in a single IPL season.

Sooryavanshi’s sensational performances eventually earned him his maiden senior India call-up. He has been included in India’s T20I squads for the Ireland and England series, marking another significant milestone in his rapidly progressing career.

Before receiving the national call-up, the youngster had endured a difficult tri-series campaign in Sri Lanka. However, he silenced any concerns over his form with a blistering 94-run knock in the final, underlining his ability to bounce back under pressure.