Former England captain Alastair Cook believes what sets Vaibhav Sooryavanshi apart as a hitter is that he does not seem to plan his shots in advance.
What Cook noticed
The 15-year-old made a huge impression in the recently finished IPL season with fearless batting for Rajasthan Royals, and Cook watched him closely. In Cook’s view, most batters, even the very best hitters, wait for a ball in a particular slot that they intend to send over the boundary, and they might have two such slots. Sooryavanshi is different. According to Cook, a bowler can send down five balls, and the teenager will wait for the one at 99 miles per hour, respond to it and still hit it for six, and do so cleanly. Cook called that unusual.
A record-breaking IPL 2026
Opening the batting for Rajasthan Royals, Sooryavanshi scored 776 runs in 16 matches at a strike rate of 237.40 and hit 72 sixes.
The numbers brought him a collection of awards:
- Orange Cap for the most runs
- Super Striker Award for the best strike rate
- Most Sixes award
- Emerging Player of the Season
- Most Valuable Player of the Season
Outlook
His performances have rewritten record books and placed him among the most exciting prospects in modern cricket.
