Former Sri Lanka captain Tennekoon offers fatherly advice to young Sooriyavanshi

Wednesday, 17 June 2026 05:26 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Former Sri Lanka captain Anura Tennekoon with young Vaibhav Sooriyavanshi

Former Sri Lanka captain Anura Tennekoon has advised Indian teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi to stay focused on his game and ignore the outside noise surrounding his rapid rise in cricket.

Tennekoon, who had travelled to Dambulla to watch the India ‘A’-Sri Lanka ‘A’ Tri-Nation One-Day Series match, met the 15-year-old after the game and offered words of encouragement.

According to reports, Suryavanshi sought Tennekoon’s blessings before the former Sri Lanka captain shared his advice.

“You focus on your game and cut out the outside noise,” Tennekoon told the youngster. “Today, unfortunately, you couldn’t get going. But that’s part of the game, you can’t get going every day.”

Tennekoon, Sri Lanka’s first ODI captain, described Suryavanshi as a “generational talent” and praised the youngster’s fearless batting.

“I was really impressed by his batting in the IPL. Hitting those sixes and fours the way he does is something unbelievable. I hope he continues in this way,” said Tennekoon.

Suryavanshi scored 21 runs in the match as India ‘A’ suffered a dramatic Super Over defeat to Sri Lanka ‘A’ in Dambulla.