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Cricket PlayersVaibhav Sooryavanshi hijacks England-New Zealand Test as Indian team selection draws 'Gary Sobers' comparison
At just 15, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's impressive IPL 2026 performance earned him a maiden India call-up.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's maiden India call-up has already attracted praise from former cricketers, with Sky Sports commentators Simon Doull and Mark Butcher hailing the 15-year-old's rise during their coverage of the first Test between England and New Zealand.
Discussing India's squad for the upcoming T20I series against Ireland and England, the panel argued that Sooryavanshi had made selection inevitable after his extraordinary IPL 2026 season.
"Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, leading run-scorer in the recent IPL with well over 750 runs. Unbelievable talent," Doull said. "They've got to get him into the side. They had to find a way."
The teenager earned his maiden India call-up after scoring 776 runs in IPL 2026, finishing as the tournament's highest run-scorer and one of its biggest attractions.
Doull said the Rajasthan Royals batter had effectively selected himself. "He forced his way in purely and simply from runs."
The former New Zealand pacer also viewed the selection as part of India's long-term planning ahead of the next T20 World Cup. "It's a side that is looking now at the way the IPL is played. It's a side that just says this is all about excitement."
“He is an astonishing talent”: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Former England batter Mark Butcher revealed he first noticed Sooryavanshi during the Under-19 World Cup, where the youngster scored 175 in the final against England.
"The first time that he came to notice for me was obviously during the Under-19 World Cup, and he made that 175 in the final against England. From watching that, I was watching him strike the ball and watching him follow through, his ability to find pretty much every corner of the ground," said Butcher.
He even drew a comparison with one of cricket's greatest stroke-makers. "The first thing that flashed in my head was Sobers. The pure commitment to hitting the ball as hard as you possibly can."
The former England batter believes the biggest question around Sooryavanshi was whether his age-group success would translate into senior cricket. For him, IPL 2026 provided the answer.
"He has done this in the IPL, the biggest and best T20 competition in the world, against the very, very best players."
Referring to Sooryavanshi's six-hitting exploits, Butcher added: "He's hit more sixes in an IPL than even Chris Gayle. And he's 15 years old. Can we just for once just go, my goodness, that is extraordinary. He is an astonishing talent, and it'd be great to see him over here."
Doull backs Shreyas Iyer's appointment
The discussion also touched on India's new T20I captain, Shreyas Iyer, whose appointment follows a successful IPL campaign with Punjab Kings.
"The captaincy going to Shreyas Iyer, which is something that he's done extremely well in the last couple of years at the Punjab Kings," Doull said.
Iyer was named India's new T20I captain after leading Punjab Kings to a reasonable IPL season following their run to the final in IPL 2025, completing a remarkable return to the national setup. Doull argued that, much like Sooryavanshi, Iyer had earned his opportunity through performances. "I think basically Shreyas Iyer has done the same thing. His runs at number three have been vital for Punjab's success in the last couple of years. He's captained them really well."
For the Sky Sports panel, India's latest T20 squad reflects two of the biggest stories from IPL 2026: the emergence of a generational batting talent in Sooryavanshi and the return of a proven leader in Iyer.
