Fifteen-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been named in India’s T20 squads for the upcoming tours of Ireland and England, setting the stage for what could be a historic international debut.
Should the Rajasthan Royals opener take the field, he would become the youngest player ever to represent the Indian men’s senior team, surpassing the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, who debuted at 16 years and 205 days back in 1989.
Sooryavanshi’s IPL 2026 campaign left selectors with little choice. The left-handed opener finished as the tournament’s top run-scorer with 776 runs, breaking Chris Gayle’s record for the most sixes in a season. He also became the first player in IPL history to be named both Most Valuable Player and Best Emerging Player in the same edition.
India selection chief Ajit Agarkar made the decision sound straightforward: “We’ve seen what he can do. He almost single-handedly carried Rajasthan Royals. He’s a game-changer and he’s picked himself.”
India, captained by Shreyas Iyer for both tours, face Ireland in two T20Is at Stormont Cricket Ground on June 26 and 28, before a five-match series against England runs from July 1 to 11.
Notably, Jasprit Bumrah has been rested, while Suryakumar Yadav is dropped despite leading India to T20 World Cup glory earlier this year.
