‘He has picked himself’ – Ajit Agarkar credits Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s performance for India call-up

Speaking about the inclusion of 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in India’s squads for the Ireland and England T20I series, Ajit Agarkar said that the young batter had effectively forced the selectors’ hand with his performances. The left-handed batter earned his maiden senior call-up after impressing in age-group cricket and delivering a series of standout performances in the IPL 2026 season.

Agarkar praised Sooryavanshi’s exceptional talent and maturity, expressing confidence in his ability to replicate his success at the international level. He acknowledged that the step up to senior international cricket would present a tougher challenge but believes the youngster possesses the temperament and skill set required to succeed.

“Vaibhav’s performances – he almost forced us to pick him. I know he’s young, but two IPLs in a row, and we also know what he did at the Under-19 level…we can all see the kind of talent he has. We’re hopeful if and when he gets an opportunity, he shows the same ability. There will be tougher challenges but he has shown great promise and temperament. We’re all as hopeful as everyone is. He has picked himself through his own performances,” said Agarkar in a press conference.

Agarkar also addressed the possibility of Sooryavanshi featuring in red-ball cricket and urged patience regarding the youngster’s development. He emphasised that while Sooryavanshi has earned his opportunity in the white-ball setup, the selectors are not looking to rush his progression into Test cricket.

“Picked him for the format in which he has excelled. Red-ball, he’s a kid. Just starting his journey. When domestic season starts and he plays a bit of red-ball cricket, we’ll wait, why jump the gun? One step at a time,” said Agarkar.

India T20I squad for Ireland:

Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (VC), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Harshit Rana, Ravi Bishnoi

India T20I squad for England:

Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Isha Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (VC), Nitish Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Harshit Rana, Ravi Bishnoi

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