In the IPL 2025 match against Gujarat Titans, Vaibhav Suryavanshi smashed 101 runs off just 38 deliveries, including seven boundaries and 11 sixes
Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Sachin Tendulkar (Pic: File Pic)
Rajasthan Royals’ Vaibhav Suryavanshi has been the talk of the town after the youngster showcased his exceptional skills during the IPL 2025 season.
In India, every promising young batsman inevitably draws comparisons with the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, who famously walked out to bat in a Test match at the age of just 16. However, former Australian pacer Steve Waugh believes that neither Suryavanshi nor any other player should be compared with Tendulkar.
"I don't think you can compare anyone to 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," said Waugh.
At the age of 18, Tendulkar played an iconic knock of 114 runs in a Test match at Perth Stadium during the 1991–92 tour of Australia.
Waugh, 59, further remarked that while players like Tendulkar are extremely rare, a 14-year-old scoring a century in the IPL was equally astonishing.
"...for him to score a century as a teenager in Perth was a freakish performance. It's very rare you get a Tendulkar come along. But I would never have expected a 14-year-old to score a 100 in the IPL, that was unthinkable," said the former Australian pacer.
"Even right now it's unthinkable. I look back to myself as a 14-year-old and I couldn't contemplate being in that situation and being successful," he added.
In the IPL 2025 match against Gujarat Titans, Suryavanshi smashed 101 runs off just 38 deliveries, including seven boundaries and 11 sixes.
One of the most successful Test captains in history, Waugh also commented on how the Indian team has evolved in terms of mentality and support while touring Australia.
"I don't think teams are intimidated like they used to be from away tours. They're so well-travelled and well-experienced and have played a lot of conditions, a lot of experience," said the veteran of 168 Test matches.
"I don't think playing away from home is the same intimidation factor as it used to be 10 (or) 20 years ago and the fact that India have won two Test series recently in Australia, and also they have probably more crowd support in Australia than Australia has got," concluded Waugh.
(With PTI Inputs)
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