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The Indian men’s cricket team will travel to England in July 2026 for a five-match T20I and three-match ODI series. The month-long overseas tour will begin with the T20I series in Chester-le-Street on July 1, while the ODI matches will be played on July 14, 16, and 19 in Birmingham, Cardiff, and Lord’s respectively. The senior men’s selection committee is set to announce India’s squad for the white-ball series next month and, according to former India captain and legendary opening batter Sunil Gavaskar, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi deserves a place in the Indian team for the England tour.
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Gavaskar feels that despite being just 15 years old, Vaibhav is “absolutely ready” to represent India in T20Is,
and he hopes the youngster is included in India’s squad for the marquee series against the two-time T20 World Cup winners.
In a recent interview with Sports Tak, he stated that age should not be a reason to keep Vaibhav away from international cricket because, even at the age of 15, he is making life difficult for experienced bowlers in the ongoing 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League.
“He (Vaibhav) is absolutely ready for T20Is,” Gavaskar said.
“I hope that when India’s T20I squad for the England tour is selected, he gets a place in the team. He absolutely deserves it because after such a tremendous performance, if you won’t pick him now, then when will you?”
“Don’t look at his age. Don’t look at his age at all, because the way he is hitting boundaries against players who are 15 years older than him — players who have far more international cricket experience — and sending them into the stands, his age simply shouldn’t matter,” he added.
According to Gavaskar, who represented India in Tests and ODIs from 1971 to 1987, people should focus on Vaibhav’s batting rather than his age.
“Don’t look at Sooryavanshi’s age. Just look at the way he is playing, the style in which he is playing. There is absolutely no fear in him. No fear at all. You know how children play — go to any street or any ground — when we were kids, did we ever play defensively? We only became defensive as we grew older. Even in tennis-ball cricket, we always tried to hit big shots. That’s exactly what Sooryavanshi is doing,” Gavaskar said.
“And this is what I pray to God for — that the child within his game and his approach never grows old. May that child always remain alive in him, because through that spirit he will continue giving all of us joy,” he added.
