Table of Contents
Amidst the Sri Lanka controversy, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has received massive praise from the former South Africa captain Graeme Smith for his fearless batting. Smith has called Vaibhav Sooryavanshi one of the most exciting young T20 talents.
The former South African captain feels that Vaibhav has done something very special at such a young age and created this much excitement that made people sit up and take notice of his talent. However, Manoj Tiwary issued stern warning to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's dream rise continues
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi attracted eyeballs during his debut IPL season with the Rajasthan Royals in 2025. He played attacking and later became the fastest Indian batter to score a century in IPL history. His powerful hitting and fearless approach made him one of the biggest stars of the tournament.
The teenage batting sensation continued his incredible form as he smashed an unbelievable knock of 175 runs in just 80 balls in the ICC Under-19 World Cup final. And then came his record-breaking IPL 2026 season.
He scored 776 runs in the tournament at an average of 44.69 and a stunning strike rate of 237.30 and earned the maiden India call-up for the T20I series in Ireland and England. The left-hander was also picked for the Asian Games 2026 in Japan.
Graeme Smith declares Vaibhav Sooryavanshi the best T20 talent since 2007
Graeme Smith admitted the fact that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has captured the imagination of the cricketing world, and everybody is just talking about the Indian talent. The South African legend was really impressed with Vaibhav’s ability to hit the ball all around the ground.
He pointed out that the bowlers have tried different plans against the teenager, including short balls, but he has found ways to attack every type of bowling, and bowlers have very little room for mistakes. Smith believes that Vaibhav is the best T20 batting talent he has seen since the format became popular in 2007 because of his exceptional and consistent power-hitting.
Graeme Smith was quoted as saying by Wisden: “It’s the nature of cricket where everyone just keeps being skeptical, 'Let's see him do it outside of India.' Let’s see him do it in international cricket."
"But I’ve not seen a guy who is that consistent in power hitting against some of the best in the world. There have been some unbelievable prospects in different formats of the game over the years, but I can’t remember a better batting prospect since T20 took off around 2007."
Graeme Smith hails India's bold Vaibhav Sooryavanshi gamble at just 15
With the next T20 World Cup still some time away, the SA20 league commissioner also lauded the Indian selectors' decision to bring Vaibhav into the national team at the age of just 15, calling it a ‘brave but smart’ move.
Smith further explained, “It’s an interesting selection from India and brave for a team that’s just won a World Cup to make the big, bold calls they have. I think it’s smart. There are two years between World Cups, and they’re giving their young talent the best chance to get as many games as possible before the next World Cup.”
He signed off by saying, “They’re blessed with talent, but I think the selectors have shown courage and foresight. You might not win everything up front, but the plan is to be ready for two years’ time, and I think it’s food for thought for the other countries.”
