Rajasthan Royals (RR) opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has earned his maiden cap-up to the Indian team for the T20Is against Ireland and England. The Men in Blue will play two T20Is in Ireland followed by five in England.
Sooryavanshi (15) is now the youngest player to be picked in an Indian men’s cricket team. The earlier record was held by Sachin Tendulkar, who was 16 when he was first chosen to play for the country. Sooryavanshi’s selection was on expected lines after he clobbered 776 runs in IPL 2026, averaging 48.50 at a strike rate of 237.30, with one century and five half-centuries.
In the wake of Sooryavanshi creating history by earning a maiden call-up to the Indian team at that age of 15, we take a look at five expert reactions to the same.
#1 Ravichandran Ashwin
Indian legend Ravichandran Ashwin has questioned the decision to fast-track Sooryavanshi to international cricket. According to the former India off-spinner, the selectors could have waited a bit longer and observed his performance over a 12-month period. He also claimed that Sooryavanshi’s selection will put additional pressure on the current top three. Ashwin commented:
“Given all the buzz, all the current top three batters will be nervous about their place. There is a certain ruthlessness in the way selections have happened in the last five to six years. But to me, that’s very wrong for team building. This Vaibhav Sooryavanshi buzz is a reason why the established players must keep evolving to be certain in the team.
“However, if I was the selector, I would wait before picking Sooryavanshi. The top three that played the T20 World Cup have all performed. So I would ask Sooryavanshi to show he has more by playing around the country and playing the India A series. I want to see you perform well for a 12-month period because the IPL can skew in favor of batters who can bat well,” he added.
For his stellar performances in IPL 2026, Sooryavanshi won the Orange Cap and was also named Player of the Tournament.
#2 Sunil Gavaskar
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has backed Sooryavanshi’s inclusion in the Men in Blue squad for the T20Is against Ireland and England. The batting legend also urged the Indian team management to pick the 15-year-old in the playing XI by resting the likes of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson. Speaking to India Today, Gavaskar said:
“Well, it was expected, wasn’t it? Look at the form that he was in. Look at the number of runs that he scored. How could you leave him out of the squad after that? You’ve got to reward performance, and I think that’s what they’ve done.
“I’ll pick him for the Ireland T20Is for sure. I’d like to see him play in the Ireland T20Is. Give him a chance ahead of, say, maybe Sanju Samson or Abhishek Sharma. Maybe in one match, Abhishek Sharma is left out. In another match, Sanju Samson is left out,” the former India opener stated.
Sooryavanshi smashed a record 72 sixes in IPL 2026 to go with 63 fours.
#3 Aakash Chopra
Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra opined that the selectors were forced to pick Sooryavanshi in the T20I team on the basis of his stupendous performance in IPL 2026. He pointed out that the Indian selectors usually name a 15-member squad, but on this occasion, Sooryavanshi has been picked as the 16th player. During a discussion on Star Sports, he commented:
“Recent memory, if that is serving me right, this is the first time this selection committee has picked 16 guys. They are very reluctant to pick more than 15. They pick 15 everywhere. In fact, only 15 have been picked in the Asian Games team, and those many only have to be picked.
“You have selected him as the 16th player here because it’s almost like you can’t ignore him. It’s gone to that stage. You can ignore a storm, but how can you ignore a tsunami? He is that tsunami,” he added.
Abhishek and Samson opened the batting for India at the business end of T20 World Cup 2026, with Ishan Kishan moving down to No. 3. It remains to be seen if Sooryavanshi gets an opportunity in place of any of the three.
#4 Mark Butcher
Former England batter Mark Butcher admitted that it is too early to predict whether Sooryavanshi can succeed at the top level, especially in Test cricket. He, however, urged fans and experts to recognize what an extraordinary talent he already is. Speaking on Sky Sports, Butcher said:
“He’s only 15, and people are still saying he needs to prove himself in international cricket. Yes, he probably does, and none of this is a guarantee that he becomes a brilliant Test player or ODI player. But let’s just pause and marvel at this extraordinary talent without asking those questions.”
“He does this in the IPL, and people still question if he can do it at the international level. He has done this in an IPL with the best players in the world. He flayed Pat Cummins and has hit more sixes in an IPL than even Chris Gayle,” Butcher added.
The former England batter also paid a huge compliment to Sooryavanshi and said that the 15-year-old reminded him of the legendary Sir Garry Sobers.
#5 Atul Wassan
Former India pacer Atul Wassan feels that Sooryavanshi should be pushed to play Test cricket. Sharing his thoughts on the 15-year-old’s selection, the former cricketer said that T20 cricket will earn a player fame and money, but Test cricket remains the real deal. Wassan told ANI:
“I don’t know if Test is in his mind or not, but his mentor should definitely put this in his mind that Test cricket is of larger significance. And if you want to see respect in the eyes of other players, then it only comes from the Test record, not from T20. You will get praise, you will get money, you will get respect and fame, but the respect you want in the eyes of other players comes from Test cricket. I think he should be pushed for Test cricket.”
Sooryavanshi has played eight first-class matches so far, scoring 207 runs at an average of 17.25, with a best of 93.
Edited by Renin Wilben Albert
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