Kumar Sangakkara shares amazing story of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi: ‘He said he had hit 13 sixes’ | Cricket News
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi may still be waiting for his India debut, but the teenage sensation has already left some of the biggest names in world cricket in awe. After former Indian spinner Ravi Ashwin urged fans to be patient with the youngster’s development, Rajasthan Royals head coach and legend of Sri Lanka Kumar Sangakkara shared remarkable stories that perfectly captured the fearless mindset and extraordinary confidence of the 15-year-old batter.Speaking on Sky Sports Cricket during the first India-Ireland T20I coverage, Sangakkara recalled how Sooryavanshi would confidently predict winning performances long before he took the field. He also revealed how the youngster fearlessly took on England’s pace ace Jofra Archer in the nets during an early Rajasthan Royals training camp, leaving everyone stunned.Kumar Sangakkara said on Sky Sports Cricket:“This year, we played Lucknow Super Giants. We had to chase 220 to win the game and stay in the competition. We lived before. Vaibhav came up to me, winked and said, “Coach, don’t worry. It’s done.“Then he went into the dressing room and said to Donovan Ferreira and Lhuan-dré Pretorius: “Listen, both of you. I have to hit 13 sixes. Once I’ve done that, just do the rest.” He ended up hitting 10. When he had reached five or six six, Donovan and Pretorius looked at each other and thought, “What are you talking about?” Then they started to tell because they realized that this kid could really do it. That’s the level of confidence that he has,” said Sankakkara.Sangakkara also recalled his first impression of Sooryavanshi during a Rajasthan Royals camp in Guwahati.“I first saw Vaibhav when I came to Guwahati for a two-week camp. There was this little net on the side where the likes of Jofra Archer and Sandeep Sharma were batting with the new ball, and nobody really wanted to bat there. So Vaibhav came in and just said, ‘I’ll bat.’ Every time the ball hit the middle of his bat, it sounded like a gunshot. I got Archer, I got Sandeep Sharma. At one point, I think Archer stopped and laughed because he was bowling seriously fast, and this 14-year-old boy was treating him with utter contempt,” he added.
Stellar IPL 2026
Sooryavanshi announced himself on the biggest stage during IPL 2026, enjoying a record-breaking campaign for Rajasthan Royals. The left-hander finished as the tournament’s highest run-scorer with 776 runs, winning the Orange Cap, MVP, Emerging Player, Super Striker and Super Sixes awards. His fearless approach, highlighted by a stunning 97 off 29 balls in the Eliminator and a century in Qualifier 2, has established him as one of the brightest young talents in world cricket.
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