Michael Vaughan Wants to See 15-Year-Old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Play for India Against England This Summer

For Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to come into India's T20I playing XI, he would have to replace either Abhishek Sharma or Sanju Samson, in the side.

Michael Vaughan Wants to See 15-Year-Old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Play for India Against England This Summer

Michael Vaughan urged Team India selectors to pick Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for upcoming Ireland and England tours. (via NDTV Sports)

In Short
  • Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is expected to receive a call-up to the Indian T20I squad following his impressive IPL 2026 performance.
  • Michael Vaughan advocates for the 15-year-old's inclusion in India's upcoming T20I tour to Ireland and the series against England.
  • Sooryavanshi became the youngest player to score 500 runs in IPL history, achieving the milestone in just 227 balls.

Given his standout performance in IPL 2026, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is expected to receive a Team India call-up soon. This sentiment is shared not just by fans but also by ex-cricketers like Michael Vaughan, who have advocated for his inclusion in the Indian T20I squad.

It has been Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s year of reckoning, with the left-hander having started this journey by securing the Player of the Series award at the U-19 World Cup. He capped off his WC campaign with a 175-run innings in the final against England, thereby helping the Boys in Blue clinch the title.

Records are synonymous with Sooryavanshi, who became the youngest debutant in the IPL last summer, at the age of 14 years and 23 days. 

Just nine days following his IPL debut, he became the youngest centurion in the IPL, scoring 101 runs from a mere 38 balls against the Gujarat Titans. The RR youngster even went past AB de Villiers’ record for the fastest 150 in List A cricket, after scoring 190 off 84 balls in a 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Arunachal Pradesh. He seems to have continued with his exceptional form in IPL 2026 as well, where he has scored 254 runs in seven matches, at an average of 36.28 and a strike-rate of 220.86. 

All of it has put the young left-hander at the heart of a conversation, with former England captain Michael Vaughan urging the Team India selectors to keep an eye on the opener. The 51-year-old advocated for Sooryavanshi’s fast-track inclusion in the Indian T20I side. On a recent episode of the Stick to Cricket podcast with Sir Alastair Cook, David Lloyd, and others, he discussed Sooryavanshi’s phenomenal rise. 

Following the disclosure of the young opener’s impressive IPL 2026 stats, they jokingly remarked that he should still be in school. Vaughan went on, sharing that the 15-year-old would be picked for India’s upcoming T20I tour to Ireland in June, as well as the subsequent white-ball tour to England.

He coupled this with a warning, emphasizing the potential for ‘over-exposure’ due to Sooryavanshi’s extremely young age. Vaughan on Stick to Cricket podcast:

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the young 15-year-old… I don’t think he is in school. I reckon he is going to go on that T20 trip to Ireland. I’d even have him in the squad for the England series this summer. But because he is 15, you have to be careful.

Vaughan also shared that he was amazed when the left-hander dramatically hit Jasprit Bumrah for a six on the very first delivery he faced. Should Sooryavanshi be picked to play for India, he would break Sachin Tendulkar’s 36-year-old record for being the youngest debutant.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi breaks IPL record despite a subdued outing against LSG

Not in his usual best, Rajasthan Royals opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, however, made his way past a plethora of records during the team’s 40-run victory over Lucknow Super Giants. The 15-year-old only managed to score 8 runs before being dismissed by Mohsin Khan. 

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi records
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi became the youngest to score 500 runs in the IPL. (via X)

His brief stay on the pitch was historic, as he became the youngest player ever to score 500 runs in the IPL. Sooryavanshi smashed the previous record, held by former U-19 World Cup-winning captain Prithvi Shaw. Furthermore, the Rajasthan Royals batting prodigy set a second record by becoming the fastest player to 500 IPL runs in terms of balls faced, achieving the feat in only 227 deliveries.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi eclipsed the previous IPL record of 260 balls, held by Glenn Maxwell. Overall, he has scored 506 runs in 14 IPL innings, at an average of 36.14 and a strike-rate of 213.51. Meanwhile, against LSG, RR only managed a first-innings total of 159/6, courtesy Ravindra Jadeja’s composed 43 off 29 balls. It proved enough for them to defend, with Lucknow bundled out for a mere 119 runs in 18 overs.

At the Ekana Stadium, the RR bowlers flourished, with Jofra Archer picking up a three-wicket haul. Nandre Burger and Brijesh Sharma picked two wickets each, while two spinners, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravi Bishnoi, also claimed a wicket apiece.

Read More: