Vaibhav Sooryavanshi picks himself: Spellbound selectors hand Wonder Kid T20I call-up

Spellbound Indian selectors had no choice but to pick 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in India’s T20I squad, chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar revealed on Saturday while announcing the squads for the Ireland-England bilateral series and the Asian Games.

At the age of 15, Vaibhav could become the youngest player ever to debut for the Indian national team, breaking the record held by the legendary Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin played his first match for India at the age of 16 years and 207 days, a record that Vaibhav could comfortably surpass this year.

India T20 Team Selection: How It Happened

SOORYAVANSHI CHOSEN: AGARKAR

In a press conference, Agarkar revealed that they were impressed with the 15-year-old’s ability to carry the Indian Premier League team (Rajasthan Royals) almost single-handedly in the latter stages of the tournament.

“I think he just picked himself, really,” Agarkar told the media in Mumbai on Saturday, June 6.

“What do you say? We have seen what he can do. You saw that even in those playoffs he almost single-handedly carried Rajasthan Royals,” he added.

It was high praise from the chairman of selectors, who was well aware that the competition for the opening spot is fierce in the Indian team at the moment.

Calling the kid special, Agarkar said what caught the selectors’ attention was Sooryavanshi’s ability to cope with a high-pressure environment.

ALL INDIA T20I SQUAD

Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma (VC), Ravi Bishnoi, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Ishan Kishan, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Shivam Dube, Varun Yashi. Sohavavari, Prince Yashi. Sohavavara, V.

INDIA COMPLETE SET FOR ASIAN GAMES

Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma (VC), Ravi Bishnoi, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah, Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Ishan Kishan, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Shivam Dube, Varun Chakarashibhavry, V.

– The end

Issued by:

Kingshuk Kusari

Published on:

June 6, 2026 2:31 PM IST