Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has lauded teenage batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, calling him a rare talent. Harbhajan highlighted that Sooryavanshi's confidence and readiness to trust his natural instincts make him a standout player. The young talent made his international debut during the five-match T20I series against England, where he returned with the modest scores of 14, 13 and 15 in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th matches. Despite the setback, Sooryavanshi has been backed by the management for the three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, which begins on Thursday, where the young star, who took the IPL 2026 by storm, would hope to demonstrate his style. 

“The difference between today’s youth and the youth back then is the reach of today’s media and social media. Things happened back then too, but today they get highlighted a lot more," Harbhajan said on JioStar.

“What Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is doing today, no one has ever done before. He is unbelievable, a great talent. I don’t think I have seen or faced a talent like that," he said.

Harbhajan said that this fearless attitude shows the changing culture of the game, and Sooryavanshi is a perfect example of this change, as he trusts his instincts and plays his own way.

“I think the biggest change is that people are accepting players with that fearless mindset and their approach of playing the way they want to," he said.

Harbhajan also talked about an interesting conversation involving former India head coach Rahul Dravid. Before the teenager made his IPL debut, Dravid asked him about his plans for the opening delivery of his first match, and Sooryavanshi's fearless response left them stunned.

“Rahul Dravid was the coach of that team, and he asked Sooryavanshi, ‘What will you do on the first ball?’ He said, ‘If the first ball is in my arc, I will smash it.’ And he actually did. He hit a six off the very first ball he faced in his IPL career, against Shardul Thakur," Harbhajan said.