"You can't coach that mindset" - Rahul Dravid's massive take on U19 prodigy post IPL 2025

Former India captain Rahul Dravid heaped massive praise on young sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi post IPL 2025. Dravid was the Head Coach of the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the 2025 season, with Suryavanshi a part of the team.

The 14-year-old prodigy impressed one and all with his stellar performance in his debut IPL season. Dravid reckoned that it was the mindset that stood out more than his skill. He believed that the mindset could not be taught or coached.

"It's not the skill the skill he has right but it's a mindset and you can't really teach that mindset you can't coach that mindset so when you have someone with that mindset you got to you know I think manage it and own it you can't certainly not curb it I think as a coach it's not so much about instructing him but giving him the platform and the freedom to express himself and creating a certain sense of difficulties in the nets or creating different situations," he said on 'Breakfast with Champions'.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi showcased a fearless approach in his batting. As an opener at the top, he got RR off to explosive starts throughout IPL 2025. He made his debut against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). The young left-hander made a statement right away as he hit his very first ball for a six off Shardul Thakur. Dravid further hailed him for the mindset and approach.

"I think to someone like that, you're actually sort of the thing you're trying to tell him is to just explore the edges of his talent, right? It's incredible. But I think that gift of like mindset, right? that freedom, first ball in the IPL to be able to hit Shardul Thakur for six, I mean, Shardul is an international bowler, he's a terrific bowler."

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Vaibhav Suryavanshi's impressive IPL debut

Vaibhav Suryavanshi played seven games in his debut IPL season. He made the most of these matches and announced himself on the global stage. The 14-year-old scored 252 runs at an average of 36.

While the runs may not seem too many, it was the aggressive brand of cricket he played under pressure at such a young age, in a massive league, that stood out. He scored these runs with an impressive strike-rate of 206.55. Suryavanshi also struck a hundred and a half-century.

His best knock of 101 came against the Gujarat Titans (GT). He slammed 101 runs off just 38 balls with seven boundaries and 11 sixes at a strike-rate of 265.78. As a result, RR chased down a huge 210-run target in just 15.5 overs.

Edited by Rishab Vm