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"Suryavanshi Had No Pressure" Waugh Hails RR Star, Warns Against Tendulkar Comparison

Aakash Saini

Vaibhav Suryavanshi in action during IPL 2025 [Source: IPLT20.COM]Vaibhav Suryavanshi in action during IPL 2025 [Source: IPLT20.COM]

Rajasthan Royals’ teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi seems to have won over former Australian captain Steve Waugh. The 1999 World Cup winning Australian skipper praised young Suryavanshi for his prolific run this IPL 2025 season, but warned fans and cricket experts from comparing the 14-year-old with all-time batting great Sachin Tendulkar.

Waugh added that he watched Suryavanshi’s record 35-ball century against Gujarat Titans, and claimed that the youngster managed to hit some big sixes without breaking a sweat.

Waugh says Suryavanshi plays with complete freedom

While speaking at a media interaction on ‘Australian Summer of Cricket 2025-26′, former Australian captain Steve Waugh said that he watched Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s record 35-ball century against Gujarat Titans, claiming that the youngster batted with “no concept of pressure” and with “complete freedom”. He said:

“I watched that century and I just couldn’t believe how well he struck the ball and how easy he was hitting the sixes and how relaxed he was. As a 14-year-old, he had no concept of pressure…just play with complete freedom, so that was great to watch. I guess for him the challenge will be to keep it under control. Can he play the same way with the same enthusiasm, the same freedom as he has done this year? That’ll be his challenge.”

Expressing his admirations for Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Steve Waugh also warned fans and cricket experts from comparing him with former Indian batter and all-time great Sachin Tendulkar, citing the latter’s success in international cricket and his splendid century on a tough Perth surface as a teenager back in 1992. He added:

“I don’t think you can compare anyone to Sachin 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. For him to score a century as a teenager in Perth was a freakish performance. It’s very rare you get a Sachin Tendulkar come along. But I would never have expected a 14-year-old to score a 100 in the IPL, that was unthinkable.”

Vaibhav Suryavanshi finished his maiden IPL season in 2025 for the Rajasthan Royals with 252 runs from just seven innings at an average of 36. The 14-year-old maintained a staggering strike rate of 206.55, plundering a ton and a half-century in the process.