India spin great Harbhajan Singh has praised Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s audacious strokeplay, describing the young batter as extraordinary and unique.
He believes bowlers will have to take an aggressive approach against the 15-year-old, as trying to contain him is not an option.
Harbhajan said Sooryavanshi has the ability to create doubt in a bowler’s mind despite his tender age and limited experience.
“Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is extraordinary. He is a unique player. I have not seen a player like him before, one who can dominate the world at 14-15 years of age,” Harbhajan told PTI in a podcast interview.
Sooryavanshi became the youngest player in IPL history when he made his Rajasthan Royals debut at the age of 14 in 2025. He soon became the youngest batter to score a century in men’s T20 cricket, hitting a 35-ball hundred against Gujarat Titans.
His rapid rise continued this year when he became the youngest player ever to make his international debut for India. He featured against England at Old Trafford at the age of 15 years and 99 days.
The teenager further underlined his talent by smashing 175 off 80 balls against England in the Under-19 World Cup final. It was the highest individual score in the history of the tournament’s finals. Sooryavanshi was also named Player of the Tournament as India won the title.
During the IPL earlier this year, the Rajasthan Royals prodigy famously hit the first deliveries bowled to him by world-class pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Pat Cummins for sixes.
“When the world’s top bowlers are bowling to him, they are actually thinking about where to bowl. That itself is a big, big statement,” Harbhajan said.
Harbhajan was asked how a bowler should approach a batter who does not appear to be intimidated by the bowler’s reputation, the occasion or the field.
“The only way to survive is to attack him. You go at him and you take his wicket,” Harbhajan said.
He acknowledged that the aggressive approach may not always succeed and could even result in the bowler being hit for sixes.
“It may not work all the time. Sometimes you might even get smashed. He would’ve hit sixes. But that is part of the game. You have to accept that he’s good.”
Asked how he would bowl to Sooryavanshi during the powerplay, the former India spinner said he would focus on his own plans rather than setting the field according to the batter.
“I won’t set the field according to what he’s doing. I’ll set the field according to what I’m doing. If I bowl to escape, I won’t be able to get him out.
“You go at him and you take his wicket. You might get success, you might not. That’s just a matter of time. You have to accept that he’s good.
“But still, the next ball should be about how to get him out,” Harbhajan said.