Vaibhav Sooryavanshi told to go Brian Lara way after second IPL ton; ‘learn from Virat Kohli, learn from Rohit Sharma’

There is no stopping Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL). After finishing last year on a high, the Rajasthan Royals opener is continuing in the same vein, giving the likes of Abhishek Sharma, Virat Kohli, Sanju Samson and others a run for their money in the race for the Orange Cap in IPL 2026.Having already plundered the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Josh Hazlewood, Jofra Archer and many more, Sooryavanshi on Saturday once again showed why he is rated so highly in just a short span of time, smashing a 36-ball hundred in Jaipur against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium - the ground where he has scored his first last year.Such has been his impact that a few former cricketers even asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to fast-track the 15-year-old in the Indian senior team men's dressing room. For the unversed, Australian captain and skipper of Sunrisers Hyderabad, Pat Cummins called Sooryavanshi his “new favourite player.”Amid all these, former West Indies all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite thought differently for Sooryavanshi. Instead of fast-tracking the Rajasthan Royals opener into the Indian team straightaway, Brathwaite wants Sooryavanshi to get hold of the pressure and atmosphere at the top level before handing him a senior Indian team debut cap.Rather, Brathwaite, the hero of West Indies' T20 World Cup-winning campaign in 2016, wants Sooryavanshi to be treated just like legendary Brian Lara during his initial day. Just like Sooryavanshi, Lara was described as the next big thing in West Indies long before his debut. As a result, Lara was made to spend time with the likes of legends Sir Viv Richards and others.“I apologise, Vaibhav, but if you look at how the West Indies handled Brian Lara," Braithwaite told ESPNcricinfo. "He was a generational talent, everyone knew. So what did the West Indies do? They put him in the mix with Viv Richards and whatnot, but he didn't play international cricket."That was a different time with loads of tour games, and he cut his teeth with the senior players without having made his debut. So maybe there is the best of both worlds - where you can have him with the Indian team - learn from Virat Kohli, learn from Rohit Sharma, learn from Suryakumar Yadav."There are younger players that are close to him in age that he can learn from, before just throwing him in the deep end," added Braithwaite. Interestingly, Lara is one of the two idols of Sooryavanshi.Records galore for Vaibhav SooryavanshiHis 36-ball hundred against Sunrisers Hyderabad was the third-fastest century in the history of IPL. Chris Gayle holds the record for the fastest ton in the competition’s history with a 30-ball 100. Sooryavanshi himself smashed the second-fastest and the quickest by an Indian against Gujarat Titans last year, when he got to the three-figure mark in just 35 balls.Having started the match on 955 runs in 25 T20 matches, Sooryavanshi, at the age of 15 years and 29 days, became the youngest player to reach 1000 runs in T20 cricket. He already holds the record for the youngest player to play in a T20 match and also the youngest to score a century in T20s.This was Sooryavanshi’s fourth T20 hundred in his 26th match, making him the fastest to the mark. Usman Khan (33 matches), B Sai Sudharsan (72), Chris Gayle (77) and Michael Klinger (88) are next on the list.Catch the live updates from IPL 2026 with the complete IPL 2026 Schedule and the IPL 2026 Points Table. Also, know who are currently leading the charts in IPL 2026 Orange Cap and IPL 2026 Purple Cap.