Anil Kumble compares Suryavanshi to Tendulkar but urges caution amidst India call-up chatter Anil Kumble, the legendary cricketer, has urged caution amid the growing clamour to fast-track Vaibhav Suryavanshi into the Indian team, even as he acknowledged the 15-year-old’s remarkable consistency and temperament.
Speaking at a Barclays event on the power of global sport to drive community impact and opportunity at the Cricket Club of India on Friday, the former India captain and coach drew parallels with Sachin Tendulkar’s teenage exploits while emphasising the need to allow Suryavanshi the time to grow.
“When Sachin Tendulkar came into the scene, every time he walked out as a 14 or 15-year-old, he was scoring hundreds. I am sure what we have seen of Vaibhav, he is certainly doing all the right things,” Kumble said. “At this point in time, it’s a bit of pressure on a young lad to say, ‘look, I want you to play for India in two months’ time’.”
Kumble, however, stressed that talent must be nurtured patiently.
| Photo Credit:
PTI
Kumble, however, stressed that talent must be nurtured patiently.
| Photo Credit:
PTI
Suryavanshi, who turned 15 last month, has seamlessly transitioned from his Under-19 World Cup heroics into the Indian Premier League, where his audacious strokeplay has caught the imagination. Earlier this week, he struck Jasprit Bumrah for a six off the very first ball he faced — a statement shot that intensified calls for his immediate elevation to India’s T20I side.
Kumble, however, stressed that talent must be nurtured patiently. “It may happen, it may not happen, but he has a wonderful time. Even 10 years later, he will still be 25. That’s the best part about someone doing so well as a 15-year-old,” he said.
The former leg-spinner also pointed out that cricket offers different pathways to success. “Some start at 15, some at 28, but they still have a role to play. For Vaibhav, it could be this year, next year or maybe a couple of years later. But the way he is batting, I am sure the selectors will be watching closely.”
Published on Apr 10, 2026
#Anil #Kumble #compares #Suryavanshi #Tendulkar #urges #caution #India #callup #chatter
Anil Kumble, the legendary cricketer, has urged caution amid the growing clamour to fast-track Vaibhav Suryavanshi into the Indian team, even as he acknowledged the 15-year-old’s remarkable consistency and temperament.
Speaking at a Barclays event on the power of global sport to drive community impact and opportunity at the Cricket Club of India on Friday, the former India captain and coach drew parallels with Sachin Tendulkar’s teenage exploits while emphasising the need to allow Suryavanshi the time to grow.
“When Sachin Tendulkar came into the scene, every time he walked out as a 14 or 15-year-old, he was scoring hundreds. I am sure what we have seen of Vaibhav, he is certainly doing all the right things,” Kumble said. “At this point in time, it’s a bit of pressure on a young lad to say, ‘look, I want you to play for India in two months’ time’.”
Kumble, however, stressed that talent must be nurtured patiently. | Photo Credit: PTI
Kumble, however, stressed that talent must be nurtured patiently. | Photo Credit: PTI
Suryavanshi, who turned 15 last month, has seamlessly transitioned from his Under-19 World Cup heroics into the Indian Premier League, where his audacious strokeplay has caught the imagination. Earlier this week, he struck Jasprit Bumrah for a six off the very first ball he faced — a statement shot that intensified calls for his immediate elevation to India’s T20I side.
Kumble, however, stressed that talent must be nurtured patiently. “It may happen, it may not happen, but he has a wonderful time. Even 10 years later, he will still be 25. That’s the best part about someone doing so well as a 15-year-old,” he said.
The former leg-spinner also pointed out that cricket offers different pathways to success. “Some start at 15, some at 28, but they still have a role to play. For Vaibhav, it could be this year, next year or maybe a couple of years later. But the way he is batting, I am sure the selectors will be watching closely.”
Published on Apr 10, 2026
![Vox Creative, Roku debut new docuseries on history of American soccer The history of American soccer has spanned well over 120 years, and to date there hasn’t been many opportunities to look back at that history. With the 2026 World Cup about a month away, we now have a chance to do just that. Yesterday, SB Nation collaborated with Vox Creative and Roku to release Soccer Meets America, a 3-part docuseries that focuses on the rise of soccer in the United States.Soccer Meets America focuses around the meteoric rise in popularity, from the North American Soccer League days of the 1970s and 1980s to the 1984 Olympics, leading up to the 1994 World Cup. At the center of that history was Alan Rothenberg, who served as soccer commissioner for the 1984 Olympics, the president of the U.S. Soccer Federation from 1990 to 1998, and the CEO of the 1994 World Cup. He also had a hand in the start of Major League Soccer, adding women’s soccer to the Olympic program in 1996, and bringing the 1999 Women’s World Cup to the United States.Rothenberg recently released a new book entitled The Big Bounce: The Surge that Shaped the Future of U.S. Soccer. In the book, Rothenberg gives an inside account at how American soccer went from the days where leagues were not organized and fizzled quickly to some of the success we have today with leagues like Major League Soccer, the National Women’s Soccer League, and the United Soccer Leagues. He details his firsthand knowledge of what it took for the United States to host a successful soccer tournament at the 1984 Olympics, how the nation won the bid to host the 1994 World Cup, and how he was able to organize the federation to get everything done and push the game forward. He recently sat down for an interview on the USA Soccercast, and in that interview, he mentioned that the rise in popularity of the game wasn’t based on one big moment, but a sustained buildup of momentum.“[American soccer] sort of grew when I was starting in 1990,” Alan Rothenberg, former U.S. Soccer president and CEO of the 1994 World Cup, said in an interview for the USA Soccercast. “I had a glimpse of it back in the 70s when we had a team in Los Angeles ,and obviously the Cosmos set the world on fire at that time with Pelé and [Franz] Beckebauer…you had Giants Stadium. So there were those glimpses of what the future could hold. But as we started to build the soccer federation, our [1994] World cup team and the World cup organization, it just started to accelerate. So there wasn’t one ‘a ha!’ moment.”Soccer Meets America takes the unique yet unexpected path of professional soccer in the United States andn gives the story some definition. Through people like Rothenberg, we see that the history is shaped by chance, persistence, and communities that kept the game alive long before it found mainstream recognition. Starting with the sport’s deep roots in immigrant communities in the 1920s, each episode of the docuseries explores soccer on a personal and professional level. Both nostalgic and forward-facing, the series features a variety of influential figures in American soccer and aims to resonate with new and old fans of the sport alike.But there’s also the legacy of the 2026 World Cup, which will be different from what it was in 1994. “Well, obviously we’re starting from a different baseline,” Rothenberg said. “We started at virtually zero back in [1990], and now we’re starting from level 60 or 75…so the dramatic consequences will not be the same as they were after 94, but I think it’s going to be a huge spike in interest in the sport at all levels.”To grow the history, you must learn from it. And Soccer Meets America gives you a review of America’s soccer history and strengthes the foundations from which the sport’s culture and passion were created. As we approach the World Cup, that knowledge will be essential to craft the legacy that will carry long after the tournament ends. #Vox #Creative #Roku #debut #docuseries #history #American #soccer](https://i3.wp.com/platform.sbnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/gettyimages-2273772608.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C10.740350081171%2C100%2C78.519299837658&w=1200&ssl=1 "Vox Creative, Roku debut new docuseries on history of American soccer The history of American soccer has spanned well over 120 years, and to date there hasn’t been many opportunities to look back at that history. With the 2026 World Cup about a month away, we now have a chance to do just that. Yesterday, SB Nation collaborated with Vox Creative and Roku to release Soccer Meets America, a 3-part docuseries that focuses on the rise of soccer in the United States.Soccer Meets America focuses around the meteoric rise in popularity, from the North American Soccer League days of the 1970s and 1980s to the 1984 Olympics, leading up to the 1994 World Cup. At the center of that history was Alan Rothenberg, who served as soccer commissioner for the 1984 Olympics, the president of the U.S. Soccer Federation from 1990 to 1998, and the CEO of the 1994 World Cup. He also had a hand in the start of Major League Soccer, adding women’s soccer to the Olympic program in 1996, and bringing the 1999 Women’s World Cup to the United States.Rothenberg recently released a new book entitled The Big Bounce: The Surge that Shaped the Future of U.S. Soccer. In the book, Rothenberg gives an inside account at how American soccer went from the days where leagues were not organized and fizzled quickly to some of the success we have today with leagues like Major League Soccer, the National Women’s Soccer League, and the United Soccer Leagues. He details his firsthand knowledge of what it took for the United States to host a successful soccer tournament at the 1984 Olympics, how the nation won the bid to host the 1994 World Cup, and how he was able to organize the federation to get everything done and push the game forward. He recently sat down for an interview on the USA Soccercast, and in that interview, he mentioned that the rise in popularity of the game wasn’t based on one big moment, but a sustained buildup of momentum.“[American soccer] sort of grew when I was starting in 1990,” Alan Rothenberg, former U.S. Soccer president and CEO of the 1994 World Cup, said in an interview for the USA Soccercast. “I had a glimpse of it back in the 70s when we had a team in Los Angeles ,and obviously the Cosmos set the world on fire at that time with Pelé and [Franz] Beckebauer…you had Giants Stadium. So there were those glimpses of what the future could hold. But as we started to build the soccer federation, our [1994] World cup team and the World cup organization, it just started to accelerate. So there wasn’t one ‘a ha!’ moment.”Soccer Meets America takes the unique yet unexpected path of professional soccer in the United States andn gives the story some definition. Through people like Rothenberg, we see that the history is shaped by chance, persistence, and communities that kept the game alive long before it found mainstream recognition. Starting with the sport’s deep roots in immigrant communities in the 1920s, each episode of the docuseries explores soccer on a personal and professional level. Both nostalgic and forward-facing, the series features a variety of influential figures in American soccer and aims to resonate with new and old fans of the sport alike.But there’s also the legacy of the 2026 World Cup, which will be different from what it was in 1994. “Well, obviously we’re starting from a different baseline,” Rothenberg said. “We started at virtually zero back in [1990], and now we’re starting from level 60 or 75…so the dramatic consequences will not be the same as they were after 94, but I think it’s going to be a huge spike in interest in the sport at all levels.”To grow the history, you must learn from it. And Soccer Meets America gives you a review of America’s soccer history and strengthes the foundations from which the sport’s culture and passion were created. As we approach the World Cup, that knowledge will be essential to craft the legacy that will carry long after the tournament ends. #Vox #Creative #Roku #debut #docuseries #history #American #soccer")
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