Former England captain Alastair Cook captured the buzz around Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s rapid rise with a touch of humour, asking: “Does he have a passport?” as talk of a possible call-up to India for the 15-year-old collected pacer.
The remark came on the Stick to Cricket podcast, where Michael Vaughan, David Lloyd, Phil Tufnell and Alex Hartley discussed Sooryavanshi’s performances this season. The Rajasthan Royals batsman has been among the leading run-scorers after making headlines with a century on debut last year and briefly held the Orange Cap in the ongoing campaign.
The conversation soon turned to whether Sooryavanshi should be called up for India’s tour of Ireland after the IPL. Vaughan and Tufnell made their positions clear and Vaughan said he would go further.
“Sooryavanshi… 246 runs, average 41, batting at 236.
“Shouldn’t he be at school? You can’t leave school,” Lloyd said.
“I don’t think he’s at school, Dave. I reckon he’ll go on that T20 trip to Ireland. Isn’t that right? I’d have him in the squad for the England series this summer,” Vaughan replied.
“Why not? Why not?” Tufnell added.
Cook then stepped in with a line that summed up the discussion. “Does he have a passport?”
Vaughan further argued that age should not become a barrier when the impact is already so obvious. “If he was 20… just because he’s 15, you’re like ‘Oh, we’ve got to be careful’. Jasprit Bumrah ran in and he just bowled him into the stands for a six.”
Hartley pointed to the confidence that shapes Sooryavanshi’s game. “It’s almost like these little kids growing up today, they have this beautiful arrogance. They don’t feel pressure like, ‘I’m going to play a game’. And I love when he just comes and says, ‘Okay! Jofra Archer… bang’. See you later. Why don’t you pick him?”
Vaughan ended by explaining how strong Sooryavanshi looked even alongside an established player. “The new T20 opener is him. Even Jaiswal has played brilliantly at the other end. But at times Sooryavanshi has made him look ‘just ok’. And he is outstanding.”
The numbers match the excitement. Sooryavanshi has scored 246 runs in six matches this season at an average of 41.00 and a strike rate of 236.53. This is followed by a debut IPL season in which he scored a century, a his run at the U19 World Cupwhere he made 175 in the final against England.
With the BCCI considering him for the Ireland tour, Sooryavanshi is now close to leading India’s call-up. At 15, he is no longer just a promising name. He’s already forcing the conversation.
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– The end
Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
24 Apr 2026 16:09 IST
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