Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been one of Indian cricket’s biggest talking points in recent months following his breakthrough IPL campaign, where he announced himself with fearless batting against some of the world’s best bowlers. The 15-year-old further enhanced his reputation in the India A tri-series final against Sri Lanka A, blasting 94 off just 29 balls. His whirlwind knock included a record-breaking 11-ball half-century, the fastest ever in List A cricket, underlining his extraordinary talent.
Sooryavanshi is currently on his maiden tour with India’s senior team in Ireland, another significant milestone in his rapidly rising career. Although he did not feature in the opening T20I, with India retaining the opening pair that helped them win the T20 World Cup, his omission remained a major talking point. Many fans had hoped to see the teenage sensation make his senior international debut after his remarkable performances over the past few months.
Despite not making his senior debut in the series opener, Sooryavanshi has already left a positive impression on his teammates, with Abhishek Sharma praising the teenager’s eagerness to learn and revealing that the squad is doing everything possible to help him settle into the dressing room.
“As a team, I think it’s our responsibility to make him comfortable. And obviously he is a young guy and what I felt, he is very curious to play all the time. He is just learning right now. He asks questions, so I feel he has that in himself, where he wants to learn a lot of things, and obviously it’s a dream for him too. So we are trying our best to make him feel that he belongs in the group,” Abhishek told reporters after the first T20I.
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India batting misfired in Sooryavanshi’s absence
Meanwhile, India opted against handing Sooryavanshi his debut in the first of the two T20Is against Ireland at Stormont, sticking with the opening combination that guided them to T20 World Cup glory. However, the move backfired as the visitors fell well short of the 183-run target, folding for 148 with seven balls to spare. Abhishek Sharma was the lone bright spot at the top of the order, smashing a brisk 49, while Shivam Dube’s 25 was the next-highest score as the rest of India’s batting line-up struggled to cope with Ireland’s disciplined bowling attack.
