Sunil Gavaskar has declared Vaibhav Sooryavanshi a “God’s gift to Indian cricket” after the teenage sensation’s breathtaking performances in IPL 2026, with the batting legend even backing the 15-year-old for a place in India’s upcoming T20I tour of England.Sooryavanshi has emerged as the biggest story of the IPL season after producing one explosive innings after another for Rajasthan Royals. His latest masterpiece came in the Eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he hammered a stunning 97 off just 29 balls and completely dismantled one of the tournament’s strongest bowling attacks.The RR opener smashed 12 sixes during the innings and equalled Suresh Raina’s record for the fastest IPL playoff fifty, reaching the milestone in just 16 deliveries. He also came within touching distance of Chris Gayle’s all-time record for the fastest IPL century before falling three runs short.However, Sooryavanshi did surpass Gayle’s long-standing record for the most sixes in a single IPL season, taking his tally to a staggering 65 maximums.Reacting to the teenager’s astonishing rise, Gavaskar said Indian cricket should not hesitate to fast-track him into the national T20 side despite his young age.“2026 will be remembered as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Year. He (Sooryavanshi) is ready to play T20 International cricket,” Gavaskar said on Sports Tak.“For England away T20 series, he will be selected. I mean he deserves to be selected after this brilliant show. If you don’t give him chance after this performance, when will you give him chance?”Gavaskar insisted that age should not become a barrier for a player already dominating some of the world’s best bowlers.“Don’t go by his age. He is hitting those bowlers who are older than him. In fact at 15, he is hitting bowlers with 15 years of international experience. Just look at his fearless approach,” Gavaskar said.The former India captain admitted India would face difficult selection calls if Sooryavanshi is included in the T20 setup, with players like Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson already occupying top-order roles.“Yes there will be headache as to whom you should drop. But it is a happy headache to have. When your option is whom to drop, that speaks of your country’s depth of talent.”“I think he (Sooryavanshi) will be kept in squad of 15 or 16 but whether he will be in 11 or not can be decided later. But the experience he will gain in that dressing room will be priceless,” he added.Gavaskar appeared especially impressed with the technical quality behind Sooryavanshi’s six-hitting, saying the youngster’s clean striking separates him from traditional power-hitters.“What we saw yesterday, even when I take into account some of his earlier innings, was different. He is not just special, he is very, very extra-ordinarily special.”“When we visualize six hitters, the idea of a slogger comes to our mind. But this kid hits straight sixes — over long on and long off with technical perfectness.”“And when one bowls short balls, he comes inside the line and hooks and pulls it with such cleanliness, that’s a rarity. Not just me but everyone apart from SRH players were sad when he got out at 97 and missed the record for fastest century. Sooryavanshi is God’s gift to Indian cricket.”Gavaskar also drew parallels with his first impressions of Sachin Tendulkar as a teenager, although he stopped short of making direct comparisons.“Sachin had all qualities. He could attack, he could defend, all shots in the book. His balance was very different. When I saw him for first time, I thought that he too was God’s gift.”“The bats are different. That time Sachin played, bats were different and weren’t as powerful. You need bats like you get now to hit those sixes.”The former India skipper also revealed an emotional moment before practice when Sooryavanshi came over and touched his feet.“Our upbringing teaches us to respect our elders. Not just me, Sanjay Bangar was standing alongside me and he touched his feet also. He might have expected that I would say something and I told him ‘Lage Raho’ (Carry on).”When asked what he hoped for the youngster going forward, Gavaskar ended with a smile.“I don’t want that kid in him to grow up,” he said in jest.Sooryavanshi has now scored 680 runs in 15 innings this season at a stunning strike rate of 242.85, with one century, four fifties, 55 fours and 65 sixes, underlining one of the greatest breakout IPL seasons ever witnessed.
