Vaibhav Sooryavanshi gets India jersey before possible Belfast debut
The 15-year-old batter has been picked for India’s T20 plans after leading the IPL run charts for Rajasthan Royals.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
2 min read
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has received his first official India jersey, a step toward a possible senior international debut this week, AFP reported. The 15-year-old batter could become India’s youngest international player if he appears in the opening T20 against Ireland in Belfast on Friday, according to AFP.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India released a video on Tuesday showing the jersey being handed to Sooryavanshi. In the video, the board described the delivery as “the moment the nation has been waiting for.”
Sooryavanshi was shown opening the shirt, which carried his name and the number 03 on the back. He said in the BCCI video that wearing India’s colours had been a long-held ambition from his earliest days in the sport.
“Ever since I first held a bat and walked onto a cricket field to practise, I dreamed of this moment. … I cannot explain this feeling in words,” Sooryavanshi said in the BCCI video.
A fast rise after the IPL
AFP reported that Sooryavanshi was named in India’s T20 squad for the tours of Ireland and England, as well as the Asian Games. His selection followed a breakout Indian Premier League season for Rajasthan Royals.
According to AFP, Sooryavanshi scored 776 runs in the IPL and finished as the tournament’s leading run scorer. He made one century and five half-centuries during the campaign and won the Orange Cap, which is awarded to the top run getter.
That IPL performance put him in contention for a senior India debut at an age rarely seen in international cricket. AFP reported that if Sooryavanshi plays for India this week, he would surpass Sachin Tendulkar as the country’s youngest international player.
Tendulkar, one of India’s most celebrated batters, made his Test debut in 1989 at 16 years and 205 days, AFP reported. Sooryavanshi is 15, putting him in position to move past that benchmark if India select him for the Belfast match.
The BCCI has not been quoted as confirming that Sooryavanshi will play in the first T20. AFP reported only that he could make his senior debut against Ireland on Friday.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.