3 min readJun 23, 2026 11:38 AM IST
First published on: Jun 23, 2026 at 11:38 AM IST
Few have had an ascent to the national team as rapidly as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi over the past decade in Indian cricket. Just a little over two years since he made his senior cricket debut at the jaw-dropping age of 13, Sooryavanshi has butchered attacks, left and right, home and away, domestic cricket and age-group national colours, before becoming a raging storm in the final of his first India A tour to Sri Lanka on Sunday.
Two days later, the 15-year-old wonderkid has arrived in a dream that he and all of Samastipur, his hometown, have chased ever since he picked up a bat: the India blues.
As India gear up for their seven T20I tour to Ireland and England, starting Friday in Belfast, Sooryavanshi was unveiled in the Indian jersey for the first time in a video shared by BCCI on Tuesday. The caption captured the relentless attention that Sooryavanshi has already observed from the masses: “Ladies & Gentlemen, the moment the nation has been waiting for has arrived! Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in #TeamIndia jersey. Witness this incredibly special moment.”
Aged only 15 years and 79 days when he was named in India’s T20I squad for the European tour and the Asian Games slated to be held in September, Sooryavanshi is now chasing the feat to become the youngest man to play for India, eclipsing a 37-year record held by Sachin Tendulkar.
“Words cannot explain it. The reason I picked up the bat from day one and went to the ground for practice, that dream has now been fulfilled. The biggest step in that journey was completed today. I truly cannot put this feeling into words,” Sooryavanshi said, reflecting on his incredible rise in the video.
“It felt like a dream when I saw that T-shirt. I couldn’t stop smiling. Sometimes things happen that you never imagined could happen. When it finally does, you don’t know how to react. That was exactly how I felt,” he added.
The left-hander’s terrific poise in handling the big stages has made him a comfortable pick for the rigours of international cricket. In the Tri-Nation series final against Sri Lanka A, Sooryavanshi wiped out his string of low scores — 117 runs in four innings — with a knock for the ages. His 29-ball 94 packed with a carnage of boundaries took home the record for the fastest-ever List A half-entury.
In February, Sooryavanshi hammered 175 off 80 balls against England in the Under-19 World Cup final in Harare, an innings that powered India to the title. A few months later, playing for Rajasthan Royals, he smashed 97 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL Eliminator to keep his team’s campaign alive.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi shared his first reaction after donning the India jersey ahead of the Ireland T20I series. (BCCI video screengrab) 
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