Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s shot at England: picked for summer

Teenage cricket sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continues to leave fans around the world astounded by his incredible feats, and after India left him out of their series against Ireland and promptly lost, the focus now is on whether he will get his shot against England. Ireland sealed a historic first series victory in any format against India with a thrilling one-run win in the second T20 international in Belfast, inflicting the tourists’ first T20I series defeat since their loss against West Indies in August 2023. India

opted against giving Sooryavanshi his first cap in the series but with the side misfiring, will the 15-year-old be unleashed to make his mark on the international stage against England? Ireland seal historic first-ever victory over India in T20 series Ben Stokes announces shock international retirement mid-matchGot Sky? Watch England vs NZ live on the Sky Sports appNot got Sky? Get instant access with NOW – no contract Should he be selected to play across the five-match T20 series, Sooryavanshi would break Sachin Tendulkar’s record

as the youngest player to ever turn out for India. Tendulkar was 16 years and 205 days old when he won his first India cap in an ODI match against Pakistan in 1989. Sooryavanshi’s rise to the top of cricket has been nothing short of meteoric, his feats in the IPL seeing him drafted into the international squad. Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara, who is the director of cricket at Rajasthan Royals, Sooryavanshi’s IPL side, believes the teenager is ready and recalled a net

session in which the young batter put team-mate Jofra Archer “to the sword”. “We had a text in 2022 or 2023, I think, from one of our analysts who works very closely in a high-performance centre in Nagpur,” he told Sky Sports. “He said there’s this young kid, so he would have been about 12 or 13 at the time, and he said he’s incredibly talented and that we really needed to have a look. “We were all like, ‘really, what is this? It must

be some kind of a joke’. But no, they were very adamant we had to bring this guy in and have a look. “I wasn’t there when Vaibhav arrived at the trials. I think he went to Delhi Capitals as well and then to us. “Rahul Dravid was head coach of the Rajasthan Royals at the time, and I think they took like five or six minutes to have a look at the kid and said, ‘we’ve got to buy this kid’. “I first saw

Vaibhav when I came in for a two-week period and I went to the side net – this tiny, horrible little side net in terms of facing up to the likes of Jofra Archer – and no-one really wanted to bat there. “I saw Vaibhav say, ‘I’ll bat’ and I could just hear the sound of his bat, like a gunshot, every single time. “He put Jofra Archer to the sword, so much so that one time I think Archer just stopped and laughed because

he was bowling quickly and this 14-year-old kid was just treating him with absolute disdain. “My feedback to Rahul walking off was that this kid was ready to play anytime you want him to play. He’s just incredible.” Sooryavanshi’s rise to international cricket Born in Tajpur, a town in the district of Bihar in northern India in 2011, Sooryavanshi made his first-class cricket debut in 2024 at the age of 12 years and 284 days. He was named in India’s U19 squad later that year

and announced himself to the cricketing world during a youth Test against Australia, hitting a 58-ball century. An IPL contract came a few months later, with Sooryavanshi becoming the youngest player in the league’s history, at 13, to be bought at the IPL auction, by Rajasthan Royals for £105,000. Even from the first ball he faced in the IPL, the teenager who idolises Brian Lara and has been mentored by former India opener Wasim Jaffer, was earmarked for greatness. At the age of 14 years

and 23 days, he stepped up to the crease for Rajasthan Royals to take on Lucknow Super Giants and fearlessly struck Shardul Thakur for six off his first ball. Nine days later, he was crowned the IPL’s youngest centurion with a 35-ball ton against Gujarat Titans. It was five deliveries short of Chris Gayle’s record-fastest hundred in the league’s history of 30. Why was Sooryavanshi impossible to ignore? The T20 world champions have a breadth of exciting talent at their disposal, and questions had been

raised over whether selectors would look to tweak their winning formula by bringing in Sooryavanshi this summer. Including the youngster certainly felt like a matter of when and not if, and considering his feats this year in the IPL, selectors have brought him into the international fold, particularly as India look ahead to 2028, where they hope to defend their white-ball title at the next ICC T20 World Cup. After scoring 252 runs in his debut IPL season, his performances in the 2026 campaign have

been nothing short of incredible. Sooryavanshi was the first player in IPL history to be crowned the league’s Most Valuable Player and to win the Emerging Player award in 2026, after he won the league’s Orange Cap, awarded to the highest run-scorer across the season. While guiding Rajasthan Royals to the IPL play-offs, Sooryavanshi struck 776 runs across 16 matches, including 72 sixes, breaking Gayle’s record for the most sixes hit across an IPL season. Comparisons were made to the likes of Virat Kohli during

his record-breaking 973-run season in the IPL, with Sooryavanshi’s 2026 total putting him fifth on the rankings for the most runs ever scored during a single IPL season. And while the Royals were unable to make the IPL final this year, the 15-year-old wrapped up his season in magnificent style, scoring his 1,000th run in the league, joining Lendl Simmons as the second-fastest player to do so off 23 innings. He did his talking on the pitch and has now been rewarded for his brilliant

performances, with India’s selection panel chairman Ajit Agarkar explaining: “He has picked himself!” Agarkar added: “Sooryavanshi had a great start and backed it up in a competition that is as competitive and high-pressure. “He’s a game-changer and we’ve got high hopes for him.” Has he impressed against England before? Sooryavanshi faced off against England in the final of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in February, guiding India to a 100-run victory. He made a stunning 175 from 80 balls during that match before he

was crowned the player of the series. Sky Sports Cricket’s Mark Butcher tuned in to watch the game and said he was gobsmacked by the youngster’s talents. “Sooryavanshi’s ball-striking is utterly phenomenal,” the former England batter said. “He first came to my notice during the ICC U19 World Cup final against England, and just from that, his follow-through, his ability to find every corner of the ground – the first thing that flashed into my head was Sir Garfield Sobers. “The bat swing that goes

all the way round and almost slaps him in the back. There is pure commitment to hitting the ball as hard as he can. “This was U19 cricket, so you’ve got to caveat it. People are asking: ‘Is he going to be able to transfer that into the men’s game?’ And then he does this, and still people are going: ‘He’s not going to be able to do it on a cold night in Stoke!'” Butcher added: “I’m saying, he has done it in the

IPL, the biggest and best T20 competition in the world, and against the best players – he flayed Pat Cummins. “He is an astonishing talent, and it will be great to see him over here.” England vs India T20 schedule First T20 (Wednesday July 1) – Banks Homes Riverside, Durham (5.30pm) Second T20 (Saturday July 4) – Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester (2.30pm) Third T20 (Tuesday July 7) – Trent Bridge, Nottingham (5.30pm) Fourth T20 (Thursday July 9) – Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol (5.30pm) Fifth T20

(Saturday July 11) – Utilita Bowl, Southampton (2.30pm) Watch all five of England’s T20 matches against India live on Sky Sports. Coverage of the first match begins at 6pm on Wednesday, July 1, on and . Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with NOW.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, India vs England T20 series, Ajit Agarkar, Rajasthan Royals, IPL 2026, Ireland vs India T20, Belfast, Sachin Tendulkar record, ICC U19 Cricket World Cup