Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Reminds Ex-PAK Captain Of Shahid Afridi, Indians Say 'Nazar Mat Laga'

15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is on fire for Rajasthan Royals in the ongoing 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League. With 680 runs to his name in 15 matches so far, he is leading the Orange Cap race in IPL 2026. His superb performances with the bat are making headlines not only in India but also in countries like England and Australia.

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It seems only a matter of time before Vaibhav represents India at the international level, and a day after he played a memorable knock of 97 runs off just 29 balls for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2026 Eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad, former Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf also took notice of the young batting sensation.

Yousuf, who was regarded

as one of the finest batters of the 2000s, took to X on Thursday (May 28) to praise Vaibhav and said that the youngster reminds him of a young Shahid Afridi.

According to Yousuf, Vaibhav, much like Afridi in his early days, is young, fearless, explosive, and full of energy. He also described him as the future of cricket.

However, cricket fans were not pleased with Yousuf’s comparison between Vaibhav and Afridi.

In the comment section of Yousuf’s tweet, which has now gone viral on social media, several fans trolled the former Pakistan captain for what they called a bizarre comparison.

Some users even urged Yousuf not to “jinx” Vaibhav by comparing him to Afridi.

Afridi made Pakistan debut at 16

Afridi was just 16 years old when he made his international debut for Pakistan during an ODI match against Kenya in Nairobi on October 2, 1996. He did not get a chance to bat in that match, but in his very next ODI, after being promoted to No. 3 against Sri Lanka in Nairobi (Gym) on October 4, he played a record-breaking knock of 102 runs off just 40 balls.

In that innings, Afridi needed only 37 balls to reach his century. The 37-ball hundred, achieved in just his second international match, became the world record for the fastest ODI century. The record stood for 18 years before New Zealand batter Corey Anderson broke it by scoring a century in 36 balls against the West Indies on January 1, 2014.