Sooryavanshi waits – Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, India’s 15-year-old cricket sensation, was left out for the second T20 against Ireland in Belfast, delaying his senior international debut. He is next expected to get that chance in a five-match series in England beginning Wednesday.
BELFAST, Northern Ireland — Vaibhav Sooryavanshi walked into the spotlight with runs that kept stacking up. But for India, the decision has been to wait.
The 15-year-old cricket sensation will have to hold off on his senior international debut after being left out again for the second and final T20 match against Ireland in Belfast. He also didn’t play in the first match on Friday. a game India lost by 34 runs — Ireland’s first-ever win over the Indians in any format.
Sooryavanshi is coming off his peak season with the bat in this year’s Indian Premier League, where he was the top run scorer. Even with that momentum, he remains on the outside as India closes out the Ireland T20s.
His next chance arrives in a five-match series in England starting Wednesday. That is when he could become the youngest player to feature in a top-tier men’s T20.
At 15 years and 93 days, Sooryavanshi would chase an existing benchmark held by Ireland’s Joshua Little, who made his debut at 16 years and 309 days.
The stakes are even higher for India because Sooryavanshi would also become the youngest-ever player in India’s senior men’s team. The comparisons are already sharp: Sachin Tendulkar was 16 years and 205 days when he made his Test debut in 1989, and then arrived at the ODI stage 33 days later.
In the wider history of men’s international cricket, the youngest-ever player remains Pakistan’s Hasan Raza. He made his Test debut at 14 years and 227 days in 1996.
For a teenager whose talent has been impossible to miss, the waiting is the hard part. The runs have made his case. The selection has not. In England, starting Wednesday, India will have another opportunity to decide whether the debut can’t be delayed any longer.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi India cricket Ireland T20 Belfast Indian Premier League Sachin Tendulkar Joshua Little Hasan Raza England series