Legendary Indian cricket team batter Sunil Gavaskar believes that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi should be handed an immediate opportunity during the T20I series against Ireland. The 15-year-old sensation was included in the India squad for the T20I series against Ireland and England following a brilliant show in the IPL 2026. The youngster won the Orange Cap with 776 runs and was the top performer for Rajasthan Royals. Gavaskar said that although India have a set opening pair in Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, the team management should not hesitate to give opportunities to Sooryavanshi.
“I’ll pick him for the Ireland T20Is for sure. I’d like to see him play in the Ireland T20Is,” Gavaskar told India Today.
“Give him a chance ahead of, say, maybe Sanju Samson or Abhishek Sharma. Maybe in one match Abhishek Sharma is left out. In another match, Sanju Samson is left out,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has arranged for Sanjeev, the father of teenaged left-handed batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, to join him in Sri Lanka ahead of the 50-over tri-series, and has extended the option for his parents to accompany him on the upcoming tours of the UK and Ireland, said Secretary Devajit Saikia on Sunday.
On Saturday, Sooryavanshi earned a maiden call-up to India’s T20I squad for the tours to Ireland and England, and the Asian Games in Japan, after having extraordinary performances in U19 World Cup triumph and IPL 2026. Sooryavanshi is in Sri Lanka with the India ‘A’ team for the 50-over tri-series, starting in Dambulla on June 9.
“Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s father is arriving today in Sri Lanka and we’ll offer him that if he wants to go to the UK and Ireland also, we’ll do that. Vaibhav was selected for India A team a few days ago and soon he will be a part of the India senior men’s team.
“So to make him comfortable with the new environment, especially with him being a child, we have made arrangements for his father to go to Sri Lanka and be with his son so that he gets used to being in the new situation,” Saikia told IANS.
Sooryavanshi’s rapid elevation to the India squad comes on the back of a record‑breaking IPL 2026 season for Rajasthan Royals, where he amassed 776 runs to finish as the tournament’s leading scorer. He also struck one century and five half‑centuries in the campaign, where RR finished third after losing in Qualifier 2.
He also claimed five awards – Emerging Player of the Season, Most Valuable Player, Orange Cap (for being leading run-getter in the competition), best season strike rate and most sixes hit in an IPL season.
With IANS Inputs
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