Teenage batting star Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is ready for international cricket, according to former India head coach Ravi Shastri, who has pushed selectors to expedite his inclusion in the national T20 squad.
Sooryavanshi has dominated the IPL 2026 with his incredible batting efforts for Rajasthan Royals after leading India to victory in the ICC Under-19 World Cup earlier this year.
In 11 innings, the left-handed opener has amassed 440 runs at a scorching strike rate of 236.56 and an average of 40. He has struck 40 sixes and 38 fours, including a spectacular 36-ball century against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Shastri, who believes the 15-year-old could make his senior India debut as early as next month on the tour of Ireland, has been pleased by his aggressive batting and daring approach.
“The door would be three-fourths open,” PTI quoted Shastri as saying on The ICC Review.
“I can tell you that, for sure, because if you want to encourage or get someone young and 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 the current moment in time. Just when you look at the exuberance of youth and that youth shows on his face,” Shastri added.
Shastri stated that considering the maturity Sooryavanshi has demonstrated against seasoned bowlers in the IPL, his age shouldn’t be a talking point.
Last year, at the age of 14, Sooryavanshi made his IPL debut with the Rajasthan Royals, scoring 252 runs in seven games. He also scored the second-fastest IPL century in just 35 balls during his third IPL match.
“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,” Shastri said.
“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 into him straight away,” Shastri concluded.
