Ravi Shastri backed 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for an India T20 debut after his explosive IPL 2026 performances for Rajasthan Royals.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has backed teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for an early India T20 debut after the youngster’s explosive performances in IPL 2026. The 15-year-old Rajasthan Royals opener impressed throughout the season and emerged as one of the tournament’s biggest stars.
Speaking on The ICC Review, Shastri urged selectors to fast-track the youngster into the senior T20 side. The former India coach said the “door would be three-fourths open” for Sooryavanshi and added that the teenager already possessed enough talent to break into several international teams around the world.
READ ALSO | Khaleel Ahmed and Nuwan Thushara Replacements Named By CSK Amid IPL 2026
“The door would be three-fourths open. I can tell you that for sure, because if you want to encourage or get someone young into the setup as quickly as possible, then it’s the T20 format of the game, and he is not short by any margin. This guy can walk into a lot of sides in world cricket at this current moment in time. Just when you look at the exuberance of youth, and that youth shows on his face,” he said.
“A lot of people will ask, is he 15, is he 16, is he 14? I don’t care. I just see the way he is batting at the moment and the way he’s taking on all comers twice his age or maybe two and a half times his age. It doesn’t matter to him. So I think he’s very, very much in the reckoning. And when you have tours of Ireland and all this happening now, I would be looking at him straight away,” Shastri added.
Notably, Sooryavanshi has scored 440 runs in 11 innings at a staggering strike rate of 236.56. His campaign included a breathtaking 36-ball century against Sunrisers Hyderabad along with 2 half-centuries. He also topped the six-hitting charts with 40 maximums.
READ ALSO | Virat Kohli Fed Up With Camera, Confesses Honest Take On Media
Before IPL 2026, the left-handed batter also played a key role in India’s successful ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup campaign earlier this year.
This article follows WicketWatcher’s editorial standards. Learn more in our Editorial Policy or report an issue via our Corrections Policy.