Vaibhav Sooryavanshi: RR's 'freak' who only understands batting
Rajasthan Royals' performance coach Siddhartha Lahiri lauded 14-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's exceptional talent, calling him a "freak" with immense potential who lives and breathes cricket. Lahiri also acknowledged the significant impact of Sanju Samson's departure, noting his absence will be felt despite the mutual decision to part ways. The Royals' scouting system was credited for discovering such promising young players.
Chennai: Rajasthan Royals have banked on young talent for success — Vaibhav Sooryavanshi being at the top of the list. And one of the backroom boys who has helped the franchise shape its youth structure is performance coach Siddhartha Lahiri, who oversees the RR academies across the globe as well. Reflecting on Sooryavanshi’s rapid rise, Lahiri told TOI: “He’s got immense calibre for sure, he’s a freak, a 14-year-old with that level of potential.
He’s in that phase of his life where he loves to breathe cricket and he loves to bat. From a cricketing perspective, we can only hope he goes on to do things that feel unreal to watch. ” The coach emphasised that the franchise aims to nurture not just players but quality coaches as well.
Their academies have already produced international names such as Ollie Pope, Shoaib Bashir and Phil Salt, while closer to home, the focus remains on developing talents like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel. 129671635 The departure of Sanju Samson was a blow to the Royals, and Lahiri admitted the team would feel his absence. “He is one of the best white-ball cricketers and a player of immense calibre.
Of course, he’ll be missed. I’ve been privileged to see him play some amazing innings for us... People are talking about his World Cup success in the last three games, but we in Royals were used to it.