MUMBAI, India – In a groundbreaking move that has sent shockwaves through global cricket, 15-year-old batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has earned his first senior call-up to the Indian men’s cricket team, named in the T20 squad for upcoming tours of Ireland, England, and the 2026 Asian Games. If the teenage opening batter takes the field against Ireland in Belfast on June 26, he will etch his name into the record books by surpassing cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, who made his Test debut for India at 16 years old against Pakistan in 1989 to become the youngest at that time.
Sooryavanshi’s meteoric rise to the senior national team comes off the back of a historic Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 campaign that captured the attention of cricket fans worldwide. Representing the Rajasthan Royals, the teenager dominated the tournament, topping the run-scoring charts with 776 runs across 16 innings. His explosive batting style yielded a staggering strike rate of 237.31, including an incredible 72 maximum sixes, cementing his status as the most exciting young talent in the global game.
Ajit Agarkar, India’s chief national selector, explained that the teenager’s extraordinary performances left the selection panel with no choice but to name him in the squad. “He has forced us to pick him with how well he’s played,” Agarkar said. “We are well aware of how young he is, and that this is very early in his international career. But the level of talent he possesses is impossible to ignore, and we are confident that if he gets the opportunity to represent his country, he will translate that domestic form onto the international stage. Playing at this level will bring stiffer challenges, but he has already shown tremendous composure and temperament beyond his years. He single-handedly carried Rajasthan Royals through the IPL playoffs, and like everyone who has watched him play, we have very high hopes for what he can achieve.”
Sooryavanshi has been breaking age-related records for years long before this senior call-up. He made his first-class debut at just 12 years old, and at 13, he became the youngest player ever to sign an IPL contract when Rajasthan Royals secured his services for the 2025 season. Even in his first tournament, he impressed, notching 252 runs in seven matches at a strike rate of over 206, including a century off just 35 balls – the second-fastest hundred in the storied history of the IPL. More recently, he was the standout star of India’s victory at the 2026 ICC Under-19 World Cup, smashing an unbeaten 175 runs off only 80 balls against England in the final. That innings stands as the highest individual score ever recorded in any ICC global tournament final.
Alongside Sooryavanshi’s historic inclusion, the Indian selection panel made another major announcement: Shreyas Iyer will captain the full-strength Indian squad for the Ireland and England tours, which serve as preparation for the Asian Games T20 competition in Japan. Iyer replaces Suryakumar Yadav, who was dropped from the squad following a prolonged run of poor form across both the IPL and recent international assignments.
Iyer’s appointment comes as no surprise after his consistent leadership success in the IPL: he guided Kolkata Knight Riders to a third IPL title in 2024, led Punjab Kings to the tournament final in 2025, and previously took Delhi Capitals to the 2020 final, making him the only player in league history to lead three different franchises to the IPL title decider.
For the Asian Games squad, India included star pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah, a clear signal that the side is targeting a gold medal finish as cricket prepares for its return to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. The upcoming international schedule sees India take on Ireland in two T20 matches on June 26 and 28, followed by five T20 fixtures against England in July.