India’s World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev has lavished praise on teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, saying the youngster possesses the kind of raw talent once seen in Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli. At the same time, Kapil cautioned against the growing hype surrounding the 15-year-old, insisting that Indian cricket must give him enough time to develop before judging his career.
Sooryavanshi has emerged as one of the brightest young prospects in world cricket after a remarkable rise. The Bihar-born left-hander grabbed headlines after becoming the youngest player to debut in the IPL for Rajasthan Royals before taking the tournament by storm with his fearless batting.
The teenager enjoyed a memorable IPL 2025 campaign, scoring 252 runs in seven matches at an average of 36 and a strike rate of over 206. He carried that form into IPL 2026, where he finished as the tournament’s leading run-scorer to win the Orange Cap. His outstanding performances earned him a maiden India call-up for the T20I series against Ireland and England.
Speaking to Sports Tak, Kapil admitted he had only watched glimpses of Sooryavanshi but was convinced about the youngster’s immense potential.
“I haven’t watched him that much, just bits and pieces. From whatever I’ve seen, he’s a huge talent, without any doubt. But I think people are talking too much about him at the moment. Give him some time. Don’t build him up so much. At such a young age, he probably doesn’t even fully understand himself or realise what he is capable of,” Kapil said.
KAPIL WANTS SOORYAVANSHI TO PROVE HIMSELF ACROSS FORMATS
While comparing Sooryavanshi’s natural ability with Tendulkar and Kohli, Kapil stressed that the teenager’s real examination would come outside T20 cricket, where temperament and technique are tested over longer periods.
“But if you’re talking purely about talent, then yes, he’s as good as Sachin and Virat Kohli. That’s the level of talent you can see in him, but in T20 cricket. In the other formats, he still has to prove himself. The day he plays Test cricket, will he be able to bat through a five-over maiden? That’s the question,” Kapil said.
The former India captain reiterated that success in the shortest format alone cannot define a player’s career and that adapting to red-ball cricket demands a different mindset.
“Someone like Virender Sehwag may not think that way, but that’s how cricket works. As far as T20 cricket is concerned, I think he’s been fabulous. To make such an impact at such a young age, you won’t find even one per cent of people in the world capable of doing that,” Kapil added.
Sooryavanshi is currently with the Indian squad on the tour of the United Kingdom. The left-handed batter did not make his international debut during India’s 0-2 T20I series defeat against Ireland and was also left out of the playing XI for the opening T20I against England at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street on July 1.
– Ends
