Vaibhav Suryavanshi: Why was the 15-year-old batsman impossible for India to ignore and will he play against England in the summer T20 series? | cricket news

Teenage cricket sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi continues to amaze fans around the world with his incredible feats, and after India dropped him from their series against Ireland and promptly lost, the focus is now on whether he will get his shot against England.

Ireland sealed a historic first series victory over India in any format with a thrilling one-run win in the second T20 International in Belfast, handing the visitors their first T20 series loss since their defeat against the West Indies in August 2023.

India have decided against giving Suryavanshi his first cap in the series but with the side misfiring, will the 15-year-old emerge to make his mark on the international stage against England?

If he is selected to play throughout the five-match Twenty20 series, Suryavanshi will break Sachin Tendulkar’s record as the youngest player to play for India. Tendulkar was 16 years 205 days old in the 1989 ODI match against Pakistan.

Suryavanshi’s rise to the top of cricket has been nothing short of meteoric, with his exploits in the IPL seeing him drafted into the international squad.

Former Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara, who is director of cricket for Suryavanshi’s IPL team Rajasthan Royals, believes the teenager is ready and recalls a nets session where the young batsman put teammate Jofra Archer “to the sword”.

“We had a text in 2022 or 2023, I think, from one of our analysts who works very closely at a high-performance center in Nagpur,” he said. Sky Sports.

“He said there’s this young kid, so he’d be about 12 or 13 at the time, and he said he’s incredibly talented and we really needed to see that.

“We were all like, ‘Really, what is this? It must be some kind of joke’. But no, they were very adamant we had to bring this guy in and see.

“I wasn’t there when Vaibhav came to the trial. I think he also went to Delhi Capitals and then to us.

“Rahul Dravid was the head coach of Rajasthan Royals at the time, and I think they took five or six minutes to look at the kid and said, ‘We have to buy this kid’.

“I first saw Vaibhav when I came in for two weeks and I went to the side nets – this tiny, awful little side net to face the likes of Jofra Archer – and nobody wanted to bat there.

“I saw Vaibhav saying, ‘I will bat’ and every time I could hear the sound of his bat like a gunshot.

“He put Jofra Archer to the sword, so much so that once I think Archer stopped and laughed because he was bowling fast and this 14-year-old kid treated him with utter contempt.

“My reaction to Rahul leaving was that this kid was ready to play when you wanted him to play. He’s incredible.”

Rise of Suryavanshi in international cricket

Born in 2011 in Tajpur, a city in the Bihar district of northern India, Suryavanshi made his first-class cricket debut in 2024 at the age of 12 years and 284 days.

Later that year he was named in the India Under-19 team and announced himself to the cricket world with a 58-ball century during the Youth Test against Australia. An IPL contract followed a few months later, Suryavanshi became the youngest player in the history of the league, at the age of 13, bought by Rajasthan Royals at the IPL auction for £105,000.

Even from facing the first ball in the IPL, the teenager who idolized Brian Lara and mentored former India opener Wasim Zafar, was earmarked for greatness.

At the age of 14 years and 23 days, he stepped up to the crease for Rajasthan Royals against Lucknow Super Giants and fearlessly smashed Shardul Thakur for a six off his first ball.

Nine days later, he was crowned the youngest centurion in the IPL with a 35-ball century against Gujarat Titans. Chris Gayle was five deliveries short of the record-fastest century in the league’s 30-year history.

Why was Suryavanshi impossible to ignore?

The T20 world champions have an exciting array of talent at their disposal and questions have been raised as to whether the selectors will want to change their winning formula by bringing in Suryavanshi this summer.

The inclusion of the youngster certainly seemed like a matter of when and not if, and considering his exploits in the IPL this year, the selectors have brought him to the international level, especially as India look ahead to 2028, where they hope to defend their white-ball title at the next ICC T20 World Cup.

After scoring 252 runs in his debut IPL season, his performances in the 2026 campaign have been nothing short of incredible.

Suryavanshi became the first player in IPL history to be crowned the league’s Most Valuable Player and won the Emerging Player of the Year award in 2026, winning the league’s Orange Cap, awarded for the highest run scorer throughout the season.

While leading Rajasthan Royals to the IPL playoffs, Suryavanshi scored 776 runs in 16 matches, including 72 sixes, breaking Gayle’s record for most sixes in an IPL season.

Compared to the likes of Virat Kohli’s record-breaking 973-run season in the IPL, Suryavanshi’s 2026 total placed him fifth in the rankings for the most runs scored in a single IPL season.

And while the Royals did not make it to the IPL final this year, the 15-year-old finished his season in style, scoring his 1,000th run in the league, joining Lendl Simmons as the second fastest player to do so in 23 innings.

He’s had his say on the pitch and has now been rewarded for his stellar performance, with India’s selection panel chairman Ajit Agarkar explaining: “He’s picked himself!”

Agarkar added: “Sooryavanshi got off to a great start and backed it up in a race that was competitive and high-pressure.

“He’s a game-changer and we’ve got high hopes for him.”

Is he impressed against England before?

Suryavanshi faced England in the final of the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup in February, guiding India to a 100-run victory.

He scored 175 off 80 balls in that match before being crowned Man of the Series.

Sky Sports Cricket’s Mark Butcher came to watch the game and said he was shocked by the talent of the youngsters.

“Suryavanshi’s ball-striking is absolutely phenomenal,” said the former England batsman.

“He first came to my attention during the ICC Under-19 World Cup final against England, and right from that, his follow-through, his ability to find every corner of the ground – the first thing that flashed in my head was Sir Garfield Sobers.

“The swing of the bat that goes all the way around and almost slaps him on the back. There’s pure commitment to hitting the ball as hard as possible.

“It was Under-19 cricket, so you have to be alert to it. People are asking: ‘Will he be able to transfer it to the men’s game?’ And then he does it, and still people are going: ‘He’s not going to be able to do that on a cold night in Stoke!'”

Butcher added: “I mean, he’s done it in the IPL, the biggest and best Twenty20 competition in the world, and against the best players – he’s beaten Pat Cummins.

“He’s an amazing talent, and it will be great to see him here.”

England vs India T20 Schedule

1st T20I (Wednesday July 1)- Banks Homes Riverside, Durham (5.30pm)

Second T20I (Saturday 4 July) – Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester (2.30pm)

3rd T20I (Tuesday July 7) – Trent Bridge, Nottingham (5.30pm)

4th T20I (Thursday July 9) – Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol (5.30pm)

Fifth T20 (Saturday 11 July) – Utilita Bowl, Southampton (2.30pm)

Watch all five T20 matches of England vs India live Sky Sports. Coverage of the first match will begin on Wednesday 1st July at 6pm Sky Sports Main Event And Sky Sports Cricket. Didn’t get the sky? Get Sky Sports or Stream with NOW.