Even for a man who has witnessed almost every conceivable facet of cricketing greatness, Kumar Sangakkara found himself utterly disarmed by a 15-year-old child.
Speaking from the Sky Sports commentary box during the third Test match between England and New Zealand, the former Sri Lankan captain and current Rajasthan Royals head coach reflected on the breathtaking, almost terrifying self-belief of India’s newest batting prodigy, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
The teenage sensation from Bihar enjoyed a truly epoch-making IPL 2026 campaign. He single-handedly dragged Rajasthan into the the playoffs, claimed the prestigious Orange Cap with 776 runs, and shattered records previously held by greats of the game. Yet, it was an astonishing, behind-the-scenes anecdote from a high-stakes group encounter against the Lucknow Super Giants that Sangakkara chose to recount to a captivated television audience.
THE COOL CONFIDENCE
Chasing a daunting target of 221 runs at Jaipur’s Sawai Mansingh Stadium-a match the Royals absolutely had to win to keep their playoff campaign alive-the pressure in the dugout was palpable. Except, it seemed, within the mind of their teenage opener.
“We were playing against Lucknow Super Giants,” Sangakkara recalled.
“They needed to defend 220 to stay alive in the tournament. We fielded first, and as the chase was about to begin, Vaibhav was walking out to open. Before heading to the middle, he looked at me, winked, and said, ‘Coach, don’t worry. It’s done’.”
If that audacious piece of reassurance to a modern legend was not enough, Sooryavanshi then walked past his senior teammates to lay down an even more specific marker.
“Then he walked into the dressing room and told Donovan Ferreira and Lhuan-dre Pretorius, ‘Listen you two, I’m going to hit 13 sixes today. After that, you just finish the job’.”
The prophecy came remarkably close to fruition. The 15-year-old launched an absolute assault on the Lucknow bowling unit, tearing them to shreds with a breathtaking 93 off just 38 deliveries. He ultimately cleared the boundary ropes 10 times before falling agonisingly short of his century.
“Donovan and Lhuan-dre thought he was joking at first,” Sangakkara laughed.
“But when he reached five sixes, they started counting down because they realised he was actually going to do it. That’s the kind of confidence Vaibhav has at just 15 years of age.”
FAME DOESN’T AFFECT VAIBHAV: SANGAKKARA
Sooryavanshi’s record-breaking season was full of such trailblazing moments. He became the fastest batter in T20 history to reach 1,000 runs in terms of balls faced (440 deliveries) and became the very first player to accumulate 500 powerplay runs in a single tournament.
However, with such a stratospheric rise comes the inevitable, suffocating weight of spotlight and commercial pressure.
Sangakkara, who has mentored the youngster from close quarters, believes the prodigy is uniquely equipped to handle the incoming storm.
“He will have many opportunities ahead, in cricket and commercially. How he balances that, and the support he gets from his family and the team, will be crucial,” Sangakkara said.
“But one thing I can say for sure is that Vaibhav loves batting. He loves the game. The fame and flash don’t really affect him. He is very grounded and curious about many things.”
Crucially, the legendary wicketkeeper-batsman noted that Sooryavanshi possesses a rare emotional maturity, allowing himself an identity outside the boundaries of the 22 yards.
“He doesn’t just live and breathe cricket all the time. He has space for other things,” Sangakkara said.
“I have no doubt he will be a force for Indian cricket, world cricket, and in franchise cricket. Mentally, he is in a good place. I think he will deal with everything that comes with fame very well.”
After the record-breaking IPL season, Sooryavanshi lit up a tri-series with the India A team in Sri Lanka, smashing a 29-ball 94 in the final against Sri Lanka A in Dambulla. The 15-year-old is now touring the UK with the senior national team after he was handed his maiden T20I call-up. In the series opener against Ireland in Belfast, Sooryavanshi was not picked in the XI, but a historic India debut is on the cards.
If and when Sooryavanshi debuts during the course of the next six T20Is in the UK (five against England in July), he will become the youngest man to debut for India in international cricket, breaking a 37-year-long record held by Sachin Tendulkar.
– Ends
