Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's inclusion in India's T20I squad for the series against Ireland and England rightfully created a lot of buzz around the cricketing
fraternity. The 15-year-old was coming into the tour on the back of a breathtaking Indian Premier League, winning a host of individual accolades, including Most Valuable Player (MVP), Emerging Player of the Season, and the Orange Cap.
Sooryavanshi did not feature during the two games against Ireland, but was included in the Indian side for the first time during the second T20I against England at Old Trafford in Manchester. The left-handed opener has since played three matches, scoring just 42 runs at an average of 14. He has hit five sixes in those three matches but has failed to capitalise on the start provided to him, getting out trying to hit a big shot.
Sooryavanshi's struggles against the likes of Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue on more sporting pitches have raised the question of whether he is ready for international cricket or whether the selectors rode on the hype and picked him a little too early.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi: right player, wrong time:
After a highly successful stint in the IPL, Sooryavanshi was bound to make his India debut sooner rather than later. Performing well for India A in the Tri-Nation series in Sri Lanka only accelerated his eventual selection. The Rajasthan Royals starlet, however, is the right player for India to experiment with, but at the wrong time.
Selecting Sooryavanshi for the series against Ireland and England was not the right decision made by the selectors. Given that the 15-year-old has barely played in foreign conditions as challenging as those found in the British Isles. Gone are the flat pitches found in the IPL, and in come more sporting pitches with inconsistent bounce and lateral movement for the new-ball bowlers.
Batting against the likes of Archer in tricky conditions was always going to be a challenge for the young, inexperienced batter. It also did not help the fact that he was replacing Sanju Samson in the playing XI, a batter who won Player of the Tournament at the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi knows Zimbabwe well:
India are set to travel to Zimbabwe for a three-match T20I series following the end of their white-ball tour to England. That series would have been the ideal opportunity to launch Sooryavanshi on the international stage. The Men in Blue have always used their tour to Zimbabwe as a launchpad for fringe players, something that would have helped the teenager get used to playing for India, with fewer eyeballs on his performances than in England.
Sooryavanshi also knows the Zimbabwean conditions really well. The 15-year-old was part of India's U19 squad which won the 2026 U19 World Cup held in Zimbabwe and Namibia. He ended the tournament as the second-highest run-getter, scoring 439 runs at an average of 62.71, whilst striking at 169.49. He scored a brilliant 175 off just 80 balls in the final against England at the Harare Sports Club, the venue of the three T20Is for India.
Is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi ready for international cricket?
The short answer is no; Sooryavanshi is not ready for international cricket just yet. However, the answer would have been different had that eventual debut happened during the Zimbabwe series later in July.
