Rafael Nadal is one of the greatest tennis players of all time. From the end of 2005 to the end of his career, Nadal suffered from Müller-Weiss syndrome. He ended up winning 22 Grand Slams, the second-most in the Open Era. But this disease hindered him immensely.
The danger of starting young
The rare and incurable degenerative disease in his left foot forced him out of multiple tournaments, including Grand Slams. It led to chronic pain, foot deformities, and injuries like severe left knee tendinitis. The root cause of the disease was intense training during his formative years under his uncle and coach Toni.
Nadal probably injured his left foot and kept on playing through pain. The structure of his bone changed, and it didn’t affect him until he broke his left foot at the end of the 2005 season. Former South African batter Daryll Cullinan fears Vaibhav Sooryavanshi might be going down the same path.
He didn’t invoke the Nadal example, but much like the Spaniard in his early years, Sooryavanshi is a child in a man’s sport. At 15, he has the fastest List A half-century, the fastest Indian Premier League (IPL) century, and is on the cusp of becoming the youngest Indian to play international cricket.
“I’m in awe of this young man, but what’s bothering me, and no one is talking about it, are injuries. At 15, swinging a big bat and playing so much cricket, I fear for his wrists, elbows, the smaller stuff, and joints. What does medical opinion say? Remember, Sachin’s career almost got cut short by a bad elbow. He definitely would not have been swinging so hard so often as Sooryavanshi,” Cullinan wrote on LinkedIn.
The former South African batter Daryll Cullinan raised a valid point on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's bat swing.Perhaps, something that the batting coach, BCCI, CoE, and physio should keep in mind while training him.#India #Cricket pic.twitter.com/rH0na1ZE87
— RC Rajashik (@iamrajashik) June 21, 2026Too much toll on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s body?
At the moment, it seems like the sky is the limit for him. But his work ethic and unique technique might be a cause for his downfall as well. Sooryavanshi shouldn’t be batting for hours in the nets and swinging so damn hard at the ball. But he’s an outlier. Such has been his performance that the selectors can’t ignore him.
However, he’s putting too much strain on his body. So far, his body has held up fine. But it’s growing. He might get taller in the future. His bat flow or shape might need to change due to it. But the injuries may not affect him now. Cullinan cited Sachin Tendulkar‘s example after Sooryavanshi’s 94-run knock in the India A vs Sri Lanka A final on June 21 in Dambulla.
Tendulkar’s career was in jeopardy in 2004, when he started to suffer from tennis elbow. It’s a condition where the tendons in the forearm become inflamed due to overuse and repetitive gripping. The batting master was 15 years into his career and was just 31. Tendulkar somehow managed to overcome it, but he wasn’t training to hit 10 sixes per match. Sooryavanshi is.
Cullinan, who played 208 matches for South Africa, fears that the strain the 15-year-old has been putting his body through can damage his joints and ligaments, which are still growing. He fears his wrist might take a toll, since he’s using a heavy bat to smash the ball over the line.
“I think he would be on a fairly strict routine. It’s the fact that he is still growing, and so are the joints, ligaments, and muscles, I would presume? They will be taking strain, I can assure you,” Cullinan said. “I know of a good few guys who picked up chronic wrist problems. The thing is, we were using lighter bats, playing far less cricket. He is still growing, which needs to be remembered. Today’s training and recovery methods will help, but I do fear for his long-term future and health.”
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi at risk of suffering a Sachin Tendulkar-like injury, worries ex-South Africa batter Inside Sport India.
Hence then, the article about vaibhav sooryavanshi at risk of suffering a sachin tendulkar like injury worries ex south africa batter was published today ( ) and is available on Inside sport ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Vaibhav Sooryavanshi at risk of suffering a Sachin Tendulkar-like injury, worries ex-South Africa batter )
Also on site :
- Japanese men accused of double standards over viral World Cup clean-ups: ‘Please do it at home’
- Why BCCI picked ‘injured’ Virat Kohli for India vs England ODIs but not Hardik Pandya
- World Cup 2026 LIVE: Mohamed Salah creates history for Egypt and Iran send new message after visa row