New Delhi, May 28 -- About a month ago, in Jaipur, a 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored his second century in the Indian Premier League (IPL)-his first this season-off 36 balls. The Rajasthan Royals player is the youngest to achieve many milestones in Indian cricket, including a Ranji Trophy debut (at age 12) and a century in men's T20 (last season). He now has the second-scored last season off 35 balls-and third fastest IPL hundreds.

If the inevitable comparison to Sachin Tendulkar has followed-for prodigious abilities, early emergence, baby-faced bravado-there is a key distinction between the two, besides the 35-year gap between their first claim to fame. Tendulkar rose from the established cricketing culture of Mumbai while Soory...