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Australia's World Cup-Winning Captain Doesn't Want To Compare Vaibhav Suryavanshi To Sachin Tendulkar
Follow UsPlaying for RR, the 14-year-old slammed 252 runs across seven innings at an average of 36 and a strike rate of 206.55
Australia’s World Cup-winning captain Steve Waugh was in awe of Vaibhav Suryavanshi after the 14-year-old smashed the second-fastest century in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The left-hander smashed a 35-ball century against Gujarat Titans (GT) in Jaipur. Playing for Rajasthan Royals (RR), Suryavanshi slammed 252 runs across seven innings at an average of 36 and a strike rate of 206.55, studded with 18 fours and 24 maximums.
“I watched that century and I just couldn’t believe how well he struck the ball and how easy he was hitting the sixes and how relaxed he was,” Waugh said in a media interaction - ‘Australian Summer of Cricket 2025-26′ organised by JioStar, Cricket Australia and the Australian Government.
“As a 14-year-old, he had no concept of pressure…just play with complete freedom, so that was great to watch. I guess for him the challenge will be to keep it under control. Can he play the same way with the same enthusiasm, the same freedom as he has done this year? That’ll be his challenge.
“He’s got a lot of skill, he’s mentally tough and he’s got a great backstory, so you want to see someone like that be successful. It’s a great story for cricket and for me watching from a long way away.”
Waugh, however, doesn’t want to compare him to Sachin Tendulkar. “I don’t think you can compare anyone to Sachin Tendulkar.
“I mean, a 16-year-old (18-year-old) coming out to Australia and scoring a century in Perth on the hardest, [the] most unique pitch in world cricket, where most players really struggle to play on a pitch.
“…for him to score a century as a teenager in Perth was a freakish performance. It’s very rare you get a Sachin Tendulkar come along. But I would never have expected a 14-year-old to score a 100 in the IPL, that was unthinkable,” Waugh added.