Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s exploits with the bat for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) have not just made him a household name in India. Rather, with every passing day, he is quite literally turned into cricket’s newest obsession, which is now slowly translating into appointment viewing in another country. Former India left-arm spinner Maninder Singh revealed an astonishing anecdote while speaking exclusively to Sports Now about Sooryavanshi. The one that says more about the teenager’s growing aura than any strike-rate statistic ever could. Maninder had recently traveled to England for a wedding. There, amid casual conversations and social gatherings, strangers walked up to his table wanting to discuss India’s new batting sensation.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Goes Global
“This is not only Indian people talking about Sooryavanshi. I was in England about a couple of months ago, and there were a lot of people. I was attending a wedding, and there were so many people who came and sat at my table, and they were talking about him. And they said that, you know, whenever we know that he’s going to play in some game, we just take a day off or something and watch him. These are the locals… Not only India,” he revealed.
That detail matters. Because cricket’s global audience does not easily pause life for teenage prospects. Admiration is common. Curiosity exists. But rearranging schedules for a 15-year-old batsman still figuring out professional cricket? That is rare territory that was previously conquered only by Sachin Tendulkar.
Talking about Sooryanshi’s recent success and the danger that lies ahead when someone experiences a favorable outcome at such an early age, the former left-arm spinner said, “See, there is always a danger when you are coming in at such a young age. But the thing is, we have had cricketers who have come at a young age. They have handled themselves pretty well. Sachin Tendulkar is a big example. And this kid looks pretty mature. He knows what he is Because normally, there was a time when spinners and batsmen should have a couple of seasons, and they know how to handle it when things are not going well for you.”
“But this boy (Sooryavanshi) looks pretty mature, and I feel that he will be able to handle it. But I am sure that the senior boys around him will also be helping him. And the coaching staff these days will also be helping him if anything goes wrong,” he reckoned.
“I feel he is a special talent. He is a super talent. And handling things very well at the moment. Because of IPL, there is a lot of pressure. There are millions of people watching. Batting against the best bowlers in the world and hitting them for sixes at will is amazing to see,” said Maninder, who made his Test debut for India at the age of 17.
But then Tendulkar was navigating a different cricketing eco-system, where there was less media attention, no social media hype, and the game was yet to see so much money and fame combined together – challenges that would be alien to any of the cricketers of that generation. Maninder disagrees.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sachin Tendulkar & The Media Hype Around Them
“It was there at that time also when Sachin Tendulkar started playing. But yes, it is a little heavier than that now. But then, this kid has shown maturity. That is what I said: playing in IPL and scoring runs at will is not easy. There is a lot of pressure. Because when you play in the IPL, the teams expect you to do well. The cricket lovers are expecting you to do well. And then he himself has expectations of himself. He seems to be mentally Strong and ready,” he explained.
“When the Rajasthan Royals are playing, I put on the television to watch it. I know that pressure. But so far, what I have seen, he has done well under pressure,” he added.
Maninder, having made his debut at the age of 17, admitted in one of his earlier interviews that perhaps it was a tad too early for him to play for the country. He went on to play only 35 Test matches for India, although many former India cricketers back then believed he had the potential to play many more, and did not quite fulfill his potential at the international level.
Drawing parallels to his own career, the 60-year-old said, “See, things are different now. In our times, they were different. There was no financial security in those days. So that pressure was also there. Now that financial security is there. He was bought for more than a crore in the IPL. He does not have to think that I have to earn money too. What if I fail? How will it be? All those things, he does not have to worry about.”
“He is a special talent. People will keep buying him in the IPL. There is a lot of money now. So the boys are working harder as well.”
“Sooryavanshi Can Handle The Weight Of Expectations”
Maninder played his last Test match for India against Zimbabwe in 1993, when he was barely 27. His career ended prematurely, failing to handle the pressure at such a young age of replacing the great Bishan Singh Bedi, clubbed with mental burnout and a loss of rhythm after a viral fever, he could never really get back to his best. Perhaps one of the drawbacks of playing at the highest level at a very early age. Whether Sooryavanshi can address the early fame, money and the pressure that comes with it, the former India spinner believes there is help around him, quite contrary to his situation.
“I think expectations… There will be a lot of expectations from him because he is a super talent, as I said earlier. And everybody is expecting him to do well. It’s only he who expects to score runs in every game because he looks so disappointed when he gets out early. And he has recently just said, when he got out for a duck, it started playing on his mind. Now, this is where I think… You know, when I talk about Sangakkara or the team. management, the coaches with him who have plenty of experience. They will come to help him get out of that kind of thought process. But all in all, whatever I see of him, he looks mentally pretty tough.
“And he knows how to handle… I believe that there are certain people who bond with these things, and he is one of them,” he further added.
That is where mentorship, strong dressing rooms, and emotional guidance will matter. For now, though, Indian cricket may simply need to appreciate what it is witnessing. A teenager who has not even fully entered adulthood is already generating conversations in England powerful enough to make people take leave from work just to watch him bat. That is an exclusive club, almost lonely, which was only occupied by Tendulkar to date. He would know, more than anyone else, that he is in elite company, and perhaps the only time loneliness would feel less like isolation and more like greatness.
