Aussie Legend Steve Waugh Brushes Off Vaibhav Suryavanshi-Sachin Tendulkar Comparison: ‘In Perth It Was A Freakish Performance’

Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s IPL 2025 campaign has made him a household name. The 14-year-old Rajasthan Royals opener was impressive in his maiden IPL campaign and earned plaudits for his fearless and confident batting throughout the tournament.

Rajasthan acquired the services of the promising young talent for 1.1 crore at the IPL mega auction, and he hasn’t disappointed at all. In what appeared to be a disappointing season, he went on to amass 252 runs in 7 matches at a strike rate of 206.56. His most influential innings came against the Gujarat Titans when he became the youngest IPL centurion, smashing a 35-ball century against the Gujarat Titans. His breakout season has already brought up comparisons with the legendary Sachin Tendulkar. But Steven Waugh has rubbished the comparisons, hailing Tendulkar as a freakish performer.

 As quoted by the Hindustan Times, “I don’t think you can compare anyone to Sachin Tendulkar.

“I mean, a 16-year-old (18-year-old) coming out to Australia and scoring a century in Perth on the hardest, (the) most unique pitch in world cricket where most players really struggle to play on a pitch.”

Waugh pointed out that playing in Perth as an 18-year-old in front of all the deadliest bowlers 

“…for him to score a century as a teenager in Perth was a freakish performance. It’s very rare you get a Sachin Tendulkar come along. But I would never have expected a 14-year-old to score a 100 in the IPL, that was unthinkable.”

Sachin faced Australia in the 1991/92 tour and announced his arrival in style. He brought up his first century in Sydney and followed it up with a sensational 161-ball 114 at the WACA, Perth. Sachin’s prowess across the two formats helped India to stamp their position on the world map and the former India captain is considered as one of the best ever to grace the game. His record of scoring a whopping 100 centuries in international cricket is very unlikely to be broken in future.