New Delhi, July 13 (IANS) Former India star allrounder Yuvraj Singh expressed his desire to mentor Vaibhav Sooryavanshi the same way he did with Abhishek Sharma, calling the teenage batting prodigy a “serious player in the making.”

Teenage batting sensation Sooryavanshi, who made his senior India debut in the recently concluded T20I series against England, had broken Yuvraj’s record of fastest fifty in List A cricket during India A match against Sri Lanka A in the Tri-Series final in Sri Lanka, taking 11 balls to complete his fifty.

Meanwhile, opener Abhishek has dazzled the international cricket scene ever since his debut. His growth and success in international cricket is attributed to Yuvraj, who called him Terminator 4, four times better than himself.

“I always call myself a Terminator. Now there is Terminator 4, Abhishek Sharma, who is four times better than me. And after him comes Terminator 6, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who has evolved even more. I did my part in my time, Abhishek elevated it, and now Vaibhav is setting new standards. This is the third phase of the same journey. It is great to see the sport evolving,” Yuvraj said on JioStar.

“When I watch Sinner and Alcaraz, I see how tennis is changing. I see the same evolution in Abhishek and Vaibhav. I have spent a lot of time training Abhishek, and I would love to spend time with Vaibhav as well. He has a great career ahead of him. He is a serious player in the making, and I believe he will get there,” he added.

On Sunday, Sooryavanshi and Abhishek travelled to the All England Club to watch the men’s singles final between Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev. They duo were accompanied by Yuvraj.

Sharing his experience of meeting the legendary allrounder, Sooryavanshi called Yuvraj his idol. “Yuvi Paaji is my idol too. Meeting him for the first time was a special moment. I got to spend time with him and he shared a lot of insights about the game.

“He spoke about the mental side of the game, how to handle pressure, and the importance of believing in yourself. It feels great to have so much to learn from someone like him. I am sure it will help me a lot in my career going forward.”

Abhishek also shared his experience of watching the Wimbledon 2026 final with Yuvraj and Sooryavanshi and said, “I can feel what Vaibhav is feeling right now because Yuvi Paaji is my idol as well. I remember when I first met him, it was kind of the same feeling that he’s feeling right now. So obviously, watching my first Wimbledon, and that too the finals, with Yuvi Paaji and Vaibhav, it’s a special day for me.”

—IANS

bc/