Former Indian head coach Rahul Dravid has opened up about the advice he gave to Vaibhav Suryavanshi before he left Rajasthan Royals (RR) after a disappointing IPL 2025 season.
Rahul Dravid also has a special request to all those coaches who are coaching Vaibhav Suryavanshi.
The young batting sensation has taken the cricket world by storm. At just 14 years old, Vaibhav is already being talked about as one of the brightest future stars of Indian cricket.
Rahul Dravid shares his golden advice to 14-year-old sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi
After setting the IPL 2025 stage on fire and impressing in Australia and England, the teenage talent is now being considered for a speedy entry into the India national cricket team.
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However, Dravid believes that the youngster should be given more time to hone his craft before stepping onto the big stage. Well, the breakout year for Vaibhav has been nothing short of extraordinary.
Suryavanshi became the youngest centurion in IPL history, and his fearless stroke play has stunned bowlers from all continents. From scoring centuries in England to dominating the attack in Australia, the left-handed batsman has shown maturity beyond his years.
Rahul Dravid praised Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s mentality
The Indian team management is keeping a close eye on the RR star’s rapid rise, with Rahul Dravid advising him to stay humble, focused and ready for the tough challenges ahead.
“For someone like that, the thing you are trying to tell him is just to find the edges of his talent. He hit Shardul Thakur for a six on the very first ball in the IPL. I mean, Shardul Thakur is an international bowler, a fantastic bowler,” Dravid said on ‘Breakfast with Champions’ hosted by Gaurav Kapoor on Oaktree Sports.
This is not a skill. He has skills. But this is the mentality. You can’t really teach that mentality. You just have to manage it and own it. You definitely can’t curb it. As a coach, it is not about giving him instructions but about giving him the platform and freedom to express himself.”
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Rahul Dravid shares bold development plan for Vaibhav Suryavanshi
Meanwhile, the former Rajasthan Royals head coach has made a clear plan for the coaches when it comes to handling India’s young batting talent.
While Vaibhav has already surprised fans with his fearless stroke play and maturity over the years, Dravid believes the next step is to take him out of his comfort zone and help him become a complete cricketer.
The former Indian head coach wants the coach to challenge Vaibhav in training, exposing him to unfamiliar match scenarios and specific weaknesses that have not been tested yet.
He suggested that the coach should let Vaibhav find his own solutions and develop his own unique way of dealing with pressure, rather than subjecting him to excessive coaching.
Dravid concluded by saying, “Creating a certain set of difficulties in the nets, or creating different conditions that allow him to. Or feeding him things that he may not be strong in. And then allowing him to figure out how he does it and find his own unique way of doing it. That would be a good way to go about it. It’s a process of self-discovery. And don’t get bogged down in the process.”