New Delhi: South Africa pace legend Dale Steyn has hailed the depth of young cricketing talent emerging in his country but admitted that there is currently no teenager capable of matching the extraordinary rise of India’s teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
Sooryavanshi, only 15, has broken a career-worth of records already. He was the youngest to hit a century in IPL in 2025 and went one step further in 2026, scoring a chart-topping 776 runs at a historically unseen strike-rate of 237.30 to become the first teenager to win the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. It has earned him a call-up to the Indian T20I squad, making him the youngest with the honor.
“I don’t think there’s a wonderkid who’s 14 or 15 in South Africa right now,” Steyn said in an interaction organised by the SA20. “And if there is, I’m not aware of him. I don’t have my finger on the pulse as closely as some of the local scouts do,” Steyn said.
“But one thing I will say is that there is no shortage of talent in South Africa. We have incredible talent coming through the system. There are outstanding Under-19 and Under-15 players progressing through the school circuit. That said, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is a different gravy. He’s better than most international players right now. He’s a genuine boy wonder and a treasure for Indian cricket.”
Steyn, who spent time in India during IPL 2026 as a commentator, said the youngster’s potential could be bigger than the combined success of Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar. But in that lied his warning for the Board of Control for Cricket in India, about the importance of managing the youngster.
“You think of players like Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, and this kid is going to explode. He could end up being bigger than both of them put together by the end of his career. So I’d be very careful about how he’s managed and looked after. With great responsibility comes great reward, but there’s also a risk that you could lose him along the way if he isn’t handled properly,” he added.
India has ample experience of seeing men’s cricket prodigies not fulfill their potential. Which is why, perhaps, the BCCI has already put safeguards around Sooryavanshi, allowing his parents to travel with him outside India and limiting his media interactions, among other things.
Steyn’s trick for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
The former fast bowler also shared how he would approach bowling to the young batter.
“If I were looking for an area to test him, I’d do what Kagiso Rabada does so well. I’d challenge him with pace and bounce. He’s still very young, and cricket is a game that involves a fear factor. So the short ball is probably a good option. I’d test him upstairs and see how he responds.”
Sooryavanshi and Rabada have come across each other for 23 balls in the IPL, with the batter scoring 43 runs at a strike-rate of 187.0 and getting out just once — at 96 in the second Qualifier of the 2026 season, miscuing an upper cut on a wide short ball.
