Kumar Sangakkara made a statement recently regarding the first time he saw the talent in Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The former Sri Lankan cricketer claimed that the teenager was fearless right from the beginning as he was willing to face the likes of Jofra Archer and Sandeep Sharma with the new ball. The side nets that he chose were amongst the most difficult ones to bat on but it didn't scare Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The veteran stated that he could hear the sound from his bat like a gunshot every time he played a shot. Sangakkara seemed to be impressed with the first time he met Sooryavanshi and his ability to play world-class pacers was commendable.

"I first saw Vaibhav when I came in for a two-week period to Guwahati and went into the side nets—this tiny, horrible little side net. In terms of facing up to the likes of Archer and Sandeep Sharma and all the fast bowlers with new balls, no one really wanted to bat there. And I saw this Vaibhav walking in and said, 'I'll bat, new balls on.' And I could just hear the sound of his bat like a gunshot every single time,” stated Kumar Sangakkara on his first meet up with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The Sri Lankan identified his talent right from the first session and his fearless approach caught the eye of the Rajasthan Royals.

Kumar Sangakkara's early belief in teenage prodigy

The Rajasthan Royals picked up Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the IPL 2025 auction for INR 1.10 Crore. Kumar Sangakkara was the Head Coach of the Rajasthan Royals and it was obvious that he identified the talent in the teenager. The veteran was impressed with the way the 14-year-old was smashing the fiery pace of Jofra Archer in the nets. Sooryavanshi was so in control of his game to a point where the English pacer just stopped and laughed about it. The Sri Lankan told Rahul Dravid that the Bihar sensation was ready to play the game and that he's incredible. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi turned out to be the most reliable batters for the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2026 season.

“And I think he just put Archer to the sword, he put Sandeep Sharma to the sword. So much so that at one point, I think Archer stopped and laughed, because he was bowling quickly and this 14-year-old kid was just treating him with absolute disdain. And that's when I saw him, and my feedback to Rahul walking out was that yeah, he was ready to play anytime he wanted to play. This kid's incredible,” added Kumar Sangakkara.

The Rajasthan Royals star batter amassed over 700 runs in the IPL and he won almost every award for the batters in the IPL 2026 season. He won the Orange Cap, alongside the MVP and Emerging Player awards and his domination amongst the best players in the world caught the attention of the selectors. The youngster was given a chance in the India A squad in the Tri-Nation A Series in Sri Lanka and he played a match-winning knock against Sri Lanka A in the finals.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was recently picked in the Indian senior squad for the Ireland series. He was benched in the opening game of the series, but many of the fans backed him to make his debut. The talent of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been recognised worldwide and it will be only a matter of time until he dominates the international stage for India.