‘Matter of pride’: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s priceless reaction to Sachin Tendulkar’s praise

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi admitted he was left stunned after learning that Sachin Tendulkar had praised his breathtaking IPL 2026 Eliminator knock against Sunrisers Hyderabad, calling it a proud and deeply motivating moment in his young career.The 15-year-old once again lit up the IPL stage with a breathtaking innings of 97 off just 29 balls, helping Rajasthan Royals crush SRH by 47 runs and move one step closer to the final. Sooryavanshi smashed 12 sixes during his explosive stay at the crease and came within three runs of Chris Gayle’s record for the fastest century in IPL history.His fearless assault left the cricket world in awe, with even Sachin Tendulkar taking to X to applaud the youngster’s extraordinary shot-making and attacking approach.“Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s bat swing has been outstanding. What’s even more remarkable is how beautifully he clears his front foot to create room for balls aimed at his legs. This freedom allows him to play the way he does. That innings was nothing short of spectacular!” Tendulkar tweeted.The praise from the batting legend turned out to be an emotional moment for Sooryavanshi, who revealed he was unaware of the tweet until teammate Dhruv Jurel mentioned it during a conversation for the IPL website.Reacting to Tendulkar’s words, the teenager admitted it was a proud and motivating feeling to receive recognition from someone he regards as the “God of Cricket.”"It feels really good, sir. It motivates me. You just told me about it; I wasn't even aware. And of course, everyone knows he is the God of Cricket. If he has tweeted something like that, it's a huge deal for us that a legend like him has tweeted about us. So, of course, it is a matter of pride,” Sooryavanshi said in the video on the IPL website.Sooryavanshi’s innings against Hyderabad once again underlined why he has become the breakout superstar of IPL 2026. The left-handed opener tore apart SRH’s bowling attack from the very beginning, smashing Pat Cummins for an early straight six before unleashing complete destruction in the overs that followed.He raced to a half-century in only 16 balls and later surpassed Chris Gayle’s long-standing record for the most sixes in a single IPL season. With 65 sixes already this year, the teenager has transformed Rajasthan Royals into one of the most dangerous batting units in the competition.The knock also pushed him to the top of the Orange Cap standings. Sooryavanshi has now scored 680 runs from 15 innings at an average of 45.33 and a staggering strike rate of 242.85.Despite the growing attention and records, the youngster insisted his focus remains simple."I think a little, not too much. Try and keep things simple. I try to play with good intent and dominate the bowlers. I want to pressurise the bowler. My focus (today) was on contributing for the team, my focus now is how to win the trophy."Rajasthan Royals will now face Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2, with a place in the IPL 2026 final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on the line.