Jos Buttler is widely regarded as one of the finest white-ball cricketers England has ever produced. With over a decade of experience dominating attacks at the highest level, his words carry immense weight. Yet, on a recent episode of the 'Love for Cricket' podcast, the English legend left listeners stunned by heaping the ultimate praise not on a seasoned veteran, but on a 14-year-old Indian prodigy: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
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The conversation began when Buttler labelled Vaibhav Sooryavanshi "the best player I've ever seen." The claim was so bold that his fellow England pacer, Mark Wood, pushed back, asking if Buttler truly saw him as an "absolute superstar."
Buttler didn’t flinch. He explained that his assessment was based on the sheer impossibility of what Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is doing at such a tender age. "My statement is he's the best player I've ever seen, 'cause I'm like, who else was doing this at 14 years old? If he's doing that at 14, what's he gonna be doing at 16, 18, 20?"
Buttler clarified that his admiration wasn't just based on junior cricket but on Sooryavanshi’s proven ability against men. "I don't see how he can't be, you know? To be playing the way he can at 14 years old, and if he hadn't played in the IPL, you'd say, 'Oh, he's only done it in an under-19 World Cup... but let's see when he steps up to senior cricket.' But he's already played... he's got a hundred in the IPL. He hit his first ball in the IPL for six."
The catalyst for this high praise was Sooryavanshi’s historic performance in the 2026 Under-19 World Cup final against England. The teenager smashed a match-winning 175 off just 80 balls, hitting 15 sixes to secure the title for India.
Beyond that final, Sooryavanshi’s recent resume is staggering. He was named Player of the Tournament with 439 runs and holds the record for the fastest U19 ODI century (52 balls). In senior cricket, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is already the youngest centurion in T20 history, having blasted a 35-ball hundred against the Gujarat Titans in the IPL.
