Teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi described receiving his first India jersey as the fulfilment of a lifelong dream after earning a historic maiden call-up to the senior national team.
At just 15 years and 71 days old, Sooryavanshi was named in India’s T20I squads for the upcoming tours of Ireland and England, as well as the Asian Games 2026. The selection makes him the youngest player ever to be picked for India’s senior men’s team, eclipsing a 36-year-old record held by Sachin Tendulkar.
Tendulkar made his India debut against Pakistan in 1989 at the age of 16 years and 205 days, becoming the youngest Indian to feature in men’s international cricket. Should Sooryavanshi take the field during the upcoming assignments, he will also become India’s youngest-ever men’s international debutant.
Reflecting on the milestone, the teenager admitted he struggled to find words to describe the emotion of wearing the India jersey for the first time.
“Words cannot explain it. The reason I picked up the bat from day one and went to the ground for practice, that dream has now been fulfilled. The biggest step in that journey was completed today. I truly cannot put this feeling into words.
“It felt like a dream when I saw that T-shirt. I couldn’t stop smiling. Sometimes things happen that you never imagined could happen. When it finally does, you don’t know how to react. That was exactly how I felt,” Sooryavanshi said in a video shared by the BCCI.
The board posted the video with the caption: “Ladies & Gentlemen, the moment the nation has been waiting for has arrived! Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in #TeamIndia jersey. Witness this incredibly special moment.”
India will begin their white-ball tour with two T20Is in Belfast on June 26 and 28 before travelling to England for a five-match series from July 1 to 11. The men’s cricket competition at the Asian Games 2026 is scheduled to run from September 24 to October 3.
Sooryavanshi’s rapid rise comes on the back of a phenomenal IPL 2026 campaign with Rajasthan Royals, where he emerged as one of the tournament’s biggest stars.
The explosive left-hander claimed the Orange Cap after amassing 776 runs in 16 innings at a remarkable strike rate of 237.30. His record-breaking season included a century, five half-centuries and an astonishing 72 sixes, underlining why he is regarded as one of Indian cricket’s brightest young prospects.