Sachin Tendulkar called the 15-year-old sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi “truly special” and said no one should “play around with his natural instincts”.

Sooryavanshi had a record-breaking IPL 2026, scoring 776 runs at a strike rate of 237.31 for Rajasthan Royals. Along the way, he smashed 72 sixes, beating Chris Gayle’s record (59) of most sixes in an IPL season.

“Everyone is talking about Sooryavanshi, and I watched him bat – it was magnificent,” Tendulkar, who was named the best men’s international batter of the 21st century at Cricinfo Honours in Mumbai, said. “I mean he is something truly special. And not just the ability to hit the ball, but what also fascinated me was the wrist work that he has.

“To be able to play in all directions of the ground, you need good wrist work. And he is not slogging the ball. He is just picking the line and length earlier than the rest of the guys and he is able to clear the rope comfortably.”

Tendulkar said while he would like Sooryavanshi to play Test cricket eventually, he should not be rushed. He urged people to encourage and support him without putting him under constant pressure.

“I would tell him to just be himself,” he said. “There is always a first time. In Test cricket, along with age, he will learn how to deal with various challenges. [It’s about] having a solution-oriented mindset. Problems are always going to be there. Problems will be there till the last day of your career, till the last ball you face. The bowler is asking a question every ball. Now, what solutions do you find? He’s kind of a player who looks very confident, very, very sure of what he wants to do and I would not want to play around with his natural instincts.

“The way he sees the ball and the way he responds to that, if that signal is interrupted – if you put a lot of hurdles in between that by telling him multiple things – that’s where the real challenge would be. I would give him the freedom to go out and bat the way he does. Along with time, he will learn to deal with other challenges of the game.

“Not just me, but everyone would want to see him [playing Test cricket] at some stage. I don’t know when that is going to happen. But an exciting talent needs encouragement. And if he’s doing well, then we need to encourage and support him and enjoy above all and not put pressure on him constantly, you know, he should play this, or he shouldn’t be doing this, or he should be picked in whatever squad. Leave that to the guys [selectors] who are responsible for that.”