'Even Brian Lara would have...': Dinesh Karthik praises Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
What's the story
Former Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik has drawn a parallel between West Indies batting legend Brian Lara and 15-year-old sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Speaking on Cricbuzz, Karthik also compared Sooryavanshi's fearless batting style to that of former India opener Virender Sehwag. The young prodigy has been breaking records in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL). He currently has 400 runs at a staggering strike rate of 238.09.
Power-hitting
'Brian Lara would have been pleased...'
Karthik highlighted a specific trait in Sooryavanshi's game that he believes even a legend like Lara would have loved to possess during his playing days. "Brian Lara would have been pleased had he had Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's power-hitting," Karthik said. He added, "He was a genius, but his backlift was slightly different. His was high as well, but when Sooryavanshi brings the bat down, he generates a lot of power."
Fearlessness
Sooryavanshi isn't intimidated by big names
Karthik also emphasized that Sooryavanshi isn't intimidated by his opponents' reputation. He is fearless while taking on even the best bowlers in the world. This "fearless" brand of cricket is reminiscent of Sehwag in his prime. Karthik said, "In terms of fearlessness, he is a lot like Viru [Sehwag]. He was the same. The bigger the bowler, the more Sehwag wanted to hit him into space."
Consistency
Sooryavanshi's journey in IPL 2026
With a strike rate of over 230, Sooryavanshi became the first player to reach 400 runs in IPL 2026. The youngster already has a ton and 2 fifties. He slammed a 36-ball ton against Sunrisers Hyderabad, now the third-fastest in IPL history. He also has the second-fastest IPL century, which he struck last year. In the SRH game, Sooryavanshi also became the fastest batter to complete 1,000 IPL runs.