Recommended for Sooryavanshi - the Brian Lara strategy

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has often said he has modelled his batting on Brian Lara. Now, after hitting his second IPL century - this time off 36 balls - Lara's compatriot Carlos Brathwaite said he wants Sooryavanshi to be guided the way Lara was in his younger days.

Lara was identified quite early as a special talent, and spent time with Viv Richards and others before eventually making his Test and ODI debut as a 21-year-old. Brathwaite said that would be the right pathway for Sooryavanshi too, keeping the teenager close to the India squad without giving him a debut just yet.

"I apologise, Vaibhav, but if you look at how West Indies handled Brian Lara… he was a generational talent, everyone knew," Brathwaite said on ESPNcricinfo's TimeOut show after Sooryavanshi's 37-ball 103 for Rajasthan Royals (RR) went in vain against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). "So what did West Indies do? They put him in the mix with Viv Richards and what not, but he didn't play [international cricket]. That was a different time with loads of tour games, and he cut his teeth with the senior players without having made his debut. And then we know how his career went once he debuted.

"So maybe there is the best of both worlds - where you can have him with the Indian team - learn from Virat [Kohli], learn from Rohit [Sharma], learn from Suryakumar Yadav. There are younger players that are close to him in age that he can learn from, before just throwing him in the deep end."

Deep Dasgupta said Sooryavanshi's elevation was only a matter of time, but he still needed careful handling. Dasgupta felt that Sooryavanshi was superb technically, but he could be tested when form, a fickle thing on occasion for most batters, evaded him.

"We've seen some really good talents go a little bit awry," Dasgupta said. "People talk about 'he should be in the Indian side' and fair enough. But there are two sides to this story and two major things you need: technical acumen and mental acumen.

"Technically, he's there - we've seen how he has played against the top bowlers of the world. So we know he can handle the technical side of it. But the mental side of it - he will have his ups and downs. Now, whether he is ready mentally to handle it or not… we have to be a little careful on how to handle it."

Sooryavanshi's successful transition from a debut IPL season was what Dasgupta was most impressed with. Sooryavanshi scored 252 runs in seven games in IPL 2025 but has surpassed that with 357 runs in seven games already in IPL 2026.

"The first year could have been a flash [in the pan], whatever, an unknown commodity," Dasgupta said. "But year two is always challenging with bowlers having plans, but we've seen what has happened in this second year. So he is a very, very special talent."

India call-up or not, Brathwaite said the way Sooryavanshi was going, he could be "the face of the IPL" next season itself: "This is what the IPL is all about. [India has a population of] 1.8 [1.5] billion people and a 15-year-old Sooryavanshi will probably be the face of the league next year. He has the world at his feet. I don't think words can justify it. You have just got to marvel at what you're witnessing and enjoy it. Enjoy that he's here."

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