Fifteen-year-old opening batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was named to India’s T20 squad for tours of Ireland and England and for the Asian Games, becoming the youngest cricketer to receive a call-up for the national team.
When Vaibhav Sooryavanshi steps onto the field against Ireland on June 26 in Belfast, he won’t just be making his debut with India — he’ll be carrying a milestone in his bag.
The 15-year-old opening batter was called up by India for the first time on Saturday. named in the T20 squad for the tours of Ireland and England. as well as the Asian Games. If he plays on June 26. he will overtake Sachin Tendulkar. who was 16 when he made his Test debut against Pakistan in November 1989.
Sooryavanshi’s leap to the national team has come after an eye-catching run in the Indian Premier League this season. He finished as the tournament’s highest run-getter with 776 runs in 16 innings, posted a strike rate of 237.31, and hit 72 sixes. The numbers alone were enough to put him on selectors’ radars — but what chief selector Ajit Agarkar emphasized was how quickly he’s been learning to handle pressure.
“He has forced us to pick him with how well he’s played,” Agarkar said. “I know his age…how young he is and (it is) early in his career. But…we can see the kind of talent he has and we are hopeful, if 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 has picked himself through his performances – he single-handedly carried Rajasthan Royals in the IPL playoffs. Like everyone else who’s watched him play, we have high hopes of him.”
The rapid rise has been happening since childhood. Sooryavanshi made his first-class debut at 12. and at 13 he became the youngest to get an IPL deal when Rajasthan bought him for the 2025 season. In that stint. he scored 252 runs in seven games at a strike rate of 206. including a 35-ball century — the second-fastest in IPL history.
He later added another signature performance to his resume in youth cricket. He starred in India’s win at the 2026 Under-19 World Cup, smashing 175 off 80 balls in the final against England — the highest individual score in any ICC global tournament final.
The India squads for Ireland and England will be captained by Shreyas Iyer, who will lead a full-strength team in the lead-up to the Asian Games T20s in Japan. Iyer replaces Suryakumar Yadav, who has been dropped. Yadav’s reign comes to an end due to poor form in both IPL and international cricket.
India will play two T20s in Ireland on June 26 and 28, and another five in England next month.
The tournament schedule now brings Sooryavanshi to the center of India’s plans. not as a long-term promise. but as a live option in immediate. high-stakes matches. His selection places him in the lineup for a stretch that moves from European conditions to bigger international pressure — with his age already set to become part of the story.
India squad for Ireland and England tours: Shreyas Iyer (captain). Abhishek Sharma. Sanju Samson. Ishan Kishan. Shivam Dube. Tilak Varma. Nitish Kumar Reddy. Axar Patel. Washington Sundar. Varun Chakaravarthy. Ravi Bishnoi. Mohammad Siraj. Harshit Rana. Arshdeep Singh. Prince Yadav. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
India squad for Asian Games: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi India cricket T20 squad Ireland tour England tour Asian Games cricket Ajit Agarkar Shreyas Iyer Suryakumar Yadav Rajasthan Royals IPL 2026