Vaibhav Sooryavanshi ‘forced’ BCCI, Ajit Agarkar to pick him at 15; decision taken one hour before India squad reveal

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi left BCCI and its chairman of selectors with no choice but to pick him in India squad.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has done it. At 15, he has become the youngest player ever to earn a call-up to an Indian international squad after being named in the teams for the upcoming T20I series against Ireland and England, as well as the Asian Games in September. Public opinion had already delivered its verdict, while several former cricketers had strongly backed his selection. Sooryavanshi left little to chance, making himself impossible to ignore with a mountain of runs, prompting chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar to admit that the committee had little option but to pick him.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's performances picked him in the squad, said Ajit Agarkar (PTI Images)

And it's tough to argue why. The cricketing world is already in awe of Sooryavanshi's feats, with the youngster hardly putting a foot wrong in his brief professional career. It was only a little over a year ago that he made his IPL (Indian Premier League) debut for the Rajasthan Royals. If becoming the youngest centurion in IPL history sounded like a remarkable achievement, what the prodigy has done ever since is the stuff of legends.

“What do you say about Vaibhav? We’ve seen what he can do. You saw that even towards those playoffs, he single-handedly carried the Rajasthan Royals. I don’t need to talk about how well he’s batting or how well he’s playing. And it’s not just this season. He obviously had a great start last season, and to back it up for a young kid in a competition that’s as competitive and as high-pressure environment as the IPL, he’s an explosive game-changer. Like everyone else who’s watched T20 cricket, we have high hopes of him, and I think he has just picked himself well,” Agarkar said.

“His performances… he's forced us to pick him with how well he's played. I know his age… how young he is and early in his career. But like I said, two IPLs in a row – what he was doing at the Under-19 level was probably a step down to what the IPL or senior cricket is. But we can all see what kind of talent he has, and we are hopeful that, if and when he gets the opportunity to play for the country, he will show the same ability. Playing for the country will mean tougher challenges, but he has shown tremendous temperament. He's picked himself through his performances.”

When will Sooryavanshi link up with his team members?

Sooryavanshi scored centuries in England, Australia and South Africa, before smashing another in the final of the Under-19 World Cup with a breathtaking knock of 175, landing the Indian colts a sixth title. He plundered sixes for fun in the UAE, hammered 190 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, missing a double century by a whisker, and went on to win the Orange Cap with a blistering tally of 776 runs. If that does not speak volumes, what does? No wonder the selection committee didn’t have an option.

However, Sooryavanshi's selection also puts the selectors in a dilemma. He is already part of the India A squad in Sri Lanka for a tri-series, with the matches scheduled from June 9 to 21. However, with the Ireland series starting on June 26, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia hinted that Sooryavanshi could be released early to join the squad travelling to the UK.

“The way the announcement has been made, we will have to think about the fact that He is a part of the India A squad for the tri-nation as well. And he’s part of the England and Ireland series. We will have to take a call because the finalisation of his selection took place today, about an hour back. We’ll have to take a call and decide what’s best for him. The priority will be for him to go to Ireland and England. You will know at an appropriate time. But yes, we are very careful about his future, and our selectors and personnel are monitoring his every step,” he said.