Rahul Dravid on Vaibhav Suryavanshi: “You Can’t Coach That Mindset”

Rahul Dravid believes that rare cricketing talents like teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi cannot truly be coached. Instead, they should be guided and given space to grow.

Dravid, known for nurturing India’s next generation of players, said the role of a coach is not to instruct but to enable self-expression.

“It’s not the skill. Skill he has. But it’s the mindset. You can’t really teach that mindset. You can’t coach someone with that mindset. You just got to manage it, own it. You certainly can’t curb it,” he said.

The former India captain added that working with prodigies is about providing the right foundation and letting them explore.

“Creating certain set of difficulties in the nets, or creating different situations, which then allow him or feeding him stuff that he might not be strong at. And then allowing him to discover how he does it, finds his own unique way of doing it. That would be a good way to go about it,” Dravid explained.

Suryavanshi, just 18, has been making waves across formats. In his debut IPL season, he hammered 252 runs in seven matches at a staggering strike rate of 206.5. Before that, he announced himself with an unbeaten 332 in the Randhir Verma Tournament. His consistent showings for India Under-19 against England and Australia have cemented his place among the most exciting young players in the country.

Currently the vice-captain for Bihar in the Ranji Trophy, Suryavanshi is already being tipped as one of India’s top prospects for the 2026 Under-19 World Cup. Coaches and selectors alike have praised his calmness under pressure and fearless approach traits that Dravid says are impossible to teach.