Former West Indies paceman Ian Bishop believes teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is ready to jump into international cricket and back the Rajasthan Royals youngster to make his India T20I debut in the near future.
Bishop picked Sooryavanshi in his alternate India T20I squad and had no hesitation in naming the 15-year-old as one of his opening players alongside Shubman Gill. Interestingly, Bishop has preferred Sooryavanshi over his Rajasthan Royals teammate Yashasvi Jaiswal, underscoring the growing excitement around the teenager’s talent and fearless approach.
Reports suggest Sooryavanshi could be in line for his much anticipated debut in India during the upcoming T20I tour of Ireland in June. Even before donning the Indian jersey, the teenager created a huge buzz with his performances and composure beyond his years.
India’s depth in white-ball cricket allows the selectors to carefully nurture special talents and Sooryavanshi seems to fit perfectly into that category. The youngster has already shown flashes of elite potential and early exposure to an international environment could accelerate his development.
Bishop echoed that sentiment when explaining his team selection on ESPNCricinfo’s “Quick Singles”.
“Tell me if you don’t agree. I’m picking three openers for my team. I want a match from left and right as much as possible. Shubman Gill was in good form so I went with him. The left-armer is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. I think he’s ready to take the next step. And I went with Prabhsimran Prabh, I think he’s good there, Pribhsimran Prabh. He’s been in better form this season,” Bishop said.
Bishop also rewarded Shreyas Iyer for his strong performances in the last two IPL seasons. Despite leading Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title in 2024 and guiding Punjab Kings to the final in 2025, Iyer has remained out of India’s T20I set-up since December 2023.
“I’m looking at Shreyas Iyer in the middle order, for obvious reasons. Rajat Patidar is another who I think can impress and Devdutt Padikkal, who has been sublime. The wicketkeeper is Dhruv Jurel – he has better form than Jitesh Sharma with bat and gloves. Nitish Kumar Reddy is my all-rounder, runs and bowls reasonably well for Sunrisers Hyderabad,” Bishop added.
Among the bowlers, Bishop has backed experienced IPL batsmen and in-form performers. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Krunal Pandya and Yuzvendra Chahal were among his notable selections, while Mohsin Khan, Prince Yadav and Prasidh Krishna also earned plaudits.
“From a spinner’s point of view, my options are quite narrow, based on the form at the moment, but Krunal Pandya was an important player. And for my true spinner, I went with the leading wicket-taker in IPL history, Yuzvendra Chahal. A seamer I like a lot – Bhuvneshwar came into my team as always at 36,” Bishop said as always.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
06 May 2026 14:30 IST
