Fifteen-year-old batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made his international debut for India against England on Saturday in the second Vitality T20 match at Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester.
Sooryavanshi opened the batting in place of Sanju Samson, scoring 14 runs off 10 balls before being stumped by England bowler Will Jacks.
The teenager hit two sixes during his short innings, one off Jofra Archer and another off fellow debutant Josh Tongue.
Sooryavanshi recently surpassed Sachin Tendulkar as India's youngest men's cricketer.
He also finished as the top run-scorer, top six-hitter, and most valuable player in the Indian Premier League earlier this year.
Before breaking into the playing XI, he sat out two matches against Ireland and a rain-abandoned series opener in Durham.
Captain and Former Players Weigh In
India captain Shreyas Iyer praised Sooryavanshi's fearless approach during the pre-match coin toss.
“How he takes on bowlers shows his confidence. He doesn’t take pressure at all,” Iyer said.
The skipper noted the young player's calm composure around the national team setup.
“He’s unflinching, it’s good to have him around,” Iyer added.
Former India wicket-keeper batter Parthiv Patel had earlier discussed managing Sooryavanshi on Star Sports, as quoted by Sportskeeda.
Patel urged head coach Gautam Gambhir to maintain transparent communication with the teenager regarding his position in the hierarchy.
“I feel that at some point in this series (against England), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will definitely get an opportunity.
But at this point in time, communication is something which is very important,” Patel said.
“When you are part of a coaching staff, you have to make sure that you are giving away the right signals to a batter.”
Patel emphasized that honesty is crucial when dealing with a player of such a young age who is waiting for his opportunity.
“Even if you are not going to make him play, you have to tell him that fact. He's a 15-year-old kid.
You have to speak to him carefully. You have to teach him a little patience,” Patel said.
The former wicket-keeper pointed out that the senior squad currently possesses a highly competitive top-order lineup following India's recent T20 World Cup 2026 victory.
“Talking about Sanju Samson, he was the Player of the Series in the World Cup.
You have Ishan Kishan, who is batting at No. 3 and is the No. 1 ICC-ranked player. No. 2 is Abhishek Sharma.
At this point in time, there is no place, and you have to communicate that really well to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi,” Patel said.
