The excitement surrounding Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is no longer confined to India.
That excitement was on full display during India’s T20I series in Ireland, where tickets were reportedly snapped up by supporters eager to watch the teenage sensation make his international debut. Instead, they were left disappointed as Sooryavanshi spent both matches on the bench.
His continued absence has now drawn criticism from former England captains Michael Vaughan and Alastair Cook, who admitted they were baffled by India’s decision to keep him out of the playing XI.
Speaking on the Stick to Cricket podcast, Vaughan questioned the thinking of the Indian selectors and said he would like an explanation from chief selector Ajit Agarkar.
“We must say to the BCCI and
the selector, Ajit, how has he not played against Ireland? Our mate, the Kid,” Vaughan said.
Cook echoed his sentiments with a tongue-in-cheek remark.
“I’m there tomorrow, and I’m driving up as a fan to make sure that the 15-year-old kid plays,” Cook joked.
Sooryavanshi earned his maiden India call-up after a phenomenal IPL 2026 campaign, where he amassed 776 runs at a staggering strike rate of 237.30 to emerge as one of the tournament’s biggest stars. Despite that breakout season, he is still waiting for his first international appearance.
The youngster also remained unused in the rain-affected opening T20I against England, with India persisting with the established top order of Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan.
The Indian team management has consistently maintained that it does not want to disrupt the batting combination that lifted the 2026 T20 World Cup. Head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shreyas Iyer have repeatedly stressed that Sooryavanshi’s opportunity will come in due course and that the teenager must “bide his time.”
However, that cautious approach has increasingly come under scrutiny.
India will have another opportunity to hand the teenager his long-awaited debut when they face England in the second T20I of the five-match series on Saturday.
