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Sunil Gavaskar pushes for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s India debut vs England, tells BCCI to ignore his age: ‘He is ready’
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has proven to the cricket world that he is not a flash in the pan, and is already ready to represent India – as soon as it's possible.
Has a player ever been as ready at as young an age as 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi seems for the international stage? With a stature and confidence that belies his youth, Sooryavanshi has plundered 680 runs at a strike rate of 242 in IPL 2026 – otherworldly numbers against some of the best bowlers in the world, as he makes clear that he is not a prospect but a player who already belongs to the big stage.
With that being the case, Sunil Gavaskar backed the teenager to be ready to play in India colours within the calendar year – the quality and confidence is there, and on merit, there is no way he should be kept out from the team, even if they are the world champions.
“In T20 cricket, he is ready. I hope that he is selected for the T20 squad for the team in England. After this performance, if you don’t give him a spot now, when will you give it to him?” said Gavaskar while speaking on SportsTak.
“Don’t look at his age – he is hitting players with international experience twice his age into the stands. Just watch how he is playing, with no fear, how kids play in the gully. When you and I were kids, would we ever play defensive? Same way, Sooryavanshi is batting. I hope that this kid in his style of play never goes away,” said Gavaskar, waxing eloquent about th mentality that Sooryavanshi brings to the biggest stage that allows him to put together such performances.
‘Sweet headache’ for selectors to have
Given that the Indian legend backs Sooryavanshi to make his debut for the team this year, the question suddenly becomes who he would displace – Sanju Samson, the T20 World Cup player of the tournament, or Abhishek Sharma, who has consistently been the best T20I opener for the last two years?
“There is the question of who will have to sit out for him for India. It’s a headache, but a sweet headache – who can be picked is not a problem, but rather who can sit out,” argued Gavaskar.
“They have a lot of options. They can take him in the 15-16, and then whether he’s in the XI or not can be seen later on.”
For Gavaskar, the significance of taking Sooryavanshi on tour was not about answering these questions, but rather about giving him the crucial time as part of the senior India squad – an experience nothing else can replicate.
“But the experience he will get from being with the Indian team is priceless. He’s undoubtedly going to get his debut this year, in England or in Zimbabwe. 2026, he will represent India. 2026 will be remembered as the year of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi,” concluded Gavaskar, predicting big things for the youngster.
