Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar highly praised young batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, explicitly stating that the teenager is not slogging the ball. Speaking at an ESPN Cricinfo event following the 15-year-old's explosive performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Rajasthan Royals, Tendulkar broke down the technical mastery that makes the young left-hander a truly special, generational talent. Tendulkar highlighted specific aspects of Sooryavanshi's batting technique that differentiate him from standard power-hitters. Tendulkar observed that Vaibhav evaluates the bowler's release to pick the line and length much earlier than standard batsmen. This micro-second head start allows him to execute controlled, elegant shots rather than making panicked, reactive swings.

"The most fascinated thing about Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been his wrist work - he is not slogging the ball, he is picking the line & length earlier than other players”, the veteran player said. When bowlers try to cramp him by targeting his legs, Vaibhav uses an exceptional mechanical trigger. He gracefully clears his front foot away from the line of the ball, creating an artificial hitting arc to dispatch leg-side deliveries with complete balance and freedom.Instead of using muscle power, he relies on a flawless, full bat swing combined with flexible wrists to find gaps and manipulate the ball. Tendulkar noted that Vaibhav’s ability to completely transfer his body's core energy behind the ball at the exact moment of impact generates effortless, jaw-dropping distance.

RR eliminated from IPL 2026 finals, despite stellar performance from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

The Rajasthan Royals were officially eliminated from IPL 2026 after a heartbreaking 7-wicket defeat to the Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2. Despite 15-year-old batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi playing another sensational, lone-warrior knock of 96 runs off just 47 balls, a brilliant century from GT captain Shubman Gill dashed the Royals' dreams of reaching the grand final. Stepping up amid a top-order collapse, the teenage opener blasted 96 runs, smashing 8 fours and 7 sixes at a strike rate of 204.26. Assisted primarily by a late cameo from Ravindra Jadeja (45*), he dragged RR to a daunting total of 214/6.

Chasing 215, Gujarat Titans weaponised a blazing start from Sai Sudharsan (58). Captain Shubman Gill then took complete control, anchoring the chase with a flawless, unbeaten 104 off 53 balls to chase the target down with 8 balls to spare. Following the final delivery, an absolute heartbreak swept through the Rajasthan camp. The 15-year-old Sooryavanshi, who had carried the team's batting weight through the season, was seen in tears and visibly shattered in the dugout. Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin fumed on his YouTube channel following the match, directly stating that "RR let down Vaibhav Sooryavanshi". Ashwin lamented that the rest of the veteran batting lineup failed to offer the necessary support to a "little kid" who was playing with a fierce winner's mentality.