Vaibhav Sooryavanshi a ‘game-changer’, forced selectors to pick him in squad: BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar

At just 15 years and 71 days of age, young sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has earned his maiden call-up for the Indian senior men’s T20I squad for the upcoming Ireland and England tour.

His selection in the senior team comes on the back of a string of impressive batting performances in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, a fact also acknowledged by BCCI Selection Committee chairman Ajit Agarkar.

Advertisement

Speaking to the media, Agarkar described Sooryavanshi as a “game-changer” and said that his performances compelled the selectors to pick him in the squad.

“What do you say about Vaibhav? We’ve seen what he can do. You saw that even towards those playoffs, he single-handedly carried the Rajasthan Royals. I don’t need to talk about how well he’s batting or how well he’s playing. And it’s not just this season. He obviously had a great start last season, and to back it up for a young kid in a competition that’s as competitive and as high-pressure an environment as the IPL, he’s an explosive game-changer. Like everyone else who’s watched T20 cricket, we have high hopes of him, and I think he has just picked himself well,” Agarkar said.

He also signalled Sooryavanshi would not have to wait any longer for his debut and could be picked straightaway in the playing XI.

“His performances… he’s forced us to pick him with how well he’s played. I know his age… how young he is and early in his career. But like I said, two IPLs in a row – what he was doing at the Under-19 level was probably a step down to what the IPL or senior cricket is. But we can all see what kind of talent he has, and we are hopeful that, if and when he gets the opportunity to play for the country, he will show the same ability. Playing for the country will mean tougher challenges, but he has shown tremendous temperament. He’s picked himself through his performances.”

India will play two T20Is in Belfast on June 26 and 28, followed by five matches in England from July 1 to 11. They will also play in the Men’s T20 event at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, in September.

Shreyas Iyer has replaced Suryakumar Yadav as captain. Yadav, 35, had captained India to a successful defence of the T20 World Cup title in March, but his own prolonged lean patch prompted the selectors to take the hard call and pick Iyer to lead the Indian side going forward.

India’s squad for T20Is against Ireland and England: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh and Prince Yadav.