Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the left-handed batter, scripted history on Saturday after he was named in the India squad for the upcoming tours of Ireland and England and the Asian Games. The 15-year-old broke Sachin Tendulkar‘s record to become the youngest-ever to be picked in the India squad. The Master Blaster’s record stood the test of time for 36 years after he made his debut in 1989 against Pakistan at the age of 16.
Sooryavanshi was rewarded for his sensational form in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 edition, where he finished as the leading run-getter with a haul of 776 runs. He won a total of five awards, including Super Striker, Orange Cap and the Most Valuable Player. He also smashed the most sixes in a single IPL season, breaking Chris Gayle’s long-standing record.
The left-hander has been the talk of the town since last year, ever since he made his IPL debut for the Royals. His maiden IPL stint was followed by the youngster smashing runs for fun in youth cricket, culminating in him scoring 175 in the U19 World Cup final against England earlier this year.
However, there was a sense of scepticism about Sooryavanshi before the IPL 2026 season, and most fans and experts believed that the youngster would find it tough, as teams would put in proper planning and the first-season novelty would wear off.
But Sooryavanshi had other plans, showing he has no negative bone in his body, smashing the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Kagiso Rabada for fun. The 19th edition of the T20 tournament also saw him score a century against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the league stage. He also registered three ninety-plus scoring, including two in the playoff matches.
Agarkar’s admission
When the squad was announced for the upcoming T20I assignments, Ajit Agarkar, the chairman of selectors, made a candid admission, saying Sooryavanshi’s performance was hard to ignore and that the youngster had broken down the door in terms of selection.
“Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s performance forced us to pick him,” Agarkar told reporters.
“He has picked himself through his performances with so much talent around in T20 cricket,” he added.
Before the T20I series against Ireland, Sooryavanshi will next be seen in action for India A against Sri Lanka and Afghanistan A.
