Three scores of 14, 13, and 15 have somewhat deflated the initial hype surrounding Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s much-awaited debut in the T20I series against England.
The 15-year-old still enjoys the confidence of the team management, but it is not lost on anyone that the wonderkid replaced the T20 World Cup 2026 ‘Player of the Tournament’ (Sanju Samson) in the playing XI. Sooryavanshi’s vulnerability against the short ball has been exploited by the England bowlers. While Sooryavanshi has failed, others have not performed well either. The result: India are 3-0 down after the first four T20Is.
India lost the series after England won the fourth T20I by nine wickets. After the match, India coach Gautam Gambhir and assistant coach Sitanshu Kotak could be seen having an intense chat with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is closely observing India’s performances in the ongoing T20I series against England, with the opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and 15-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, and their six-hitting ability, under the scanner, a source told news agency ANI.
A BCCI source has acknowledged that the “six-hitting ability of Abhishek and Sooryavanshi is great but needs to be controlled”.
Sooryavanshi, who became India’s youngest-ever international cricketer at the age of 15 years and 99 days in the second T20I, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s long-standing record set in 1989, has had a forgettable start to his career, managing scores of 14, 13, and 15.
Notably, Sooryavanshi earned his maiden national call-up following a sensational IPL 2026 campaign with the Rajasthan Royals, where he amassed 776 runs at a staggering strike rate of 237.30, including a century and five fifties. His explosive season saw him finish as the tournament’s leading run-scorer while smashing a record 72 sixes.
The youngster also swept multiple post-season IPL honours, including the Orange Cap, Most Valuable Player, Emerging Player, Super Striker, and Super Sixes awards.
So far in his IPL career, Sooryavanshi has scored 1,028 runs in 23 matches and innings at an average of 44.69 and a strike rate of 228.95, with two centuries and six fifties, and a best score of 103. He has smashed 96 sixes.
In the recent tri-nation series in Sri Lanka, featuring Sri Lanka A and Afghanistan A, Sooryavanshi scored 211 runs in five innings at an average of 42.20 and a strike rate of almost 201, with a best score of 94. His solitary fifty came in the final. He also smashed the fastest List A fifty in 11 balls against Sri Lanka A.