Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Earns Maiden India Call-Up, Ajit Agarkar Showers Massive Praise On Cricket Prodigy: 'We Have Got High Hopes Of Him'

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, heaped praise on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi after the 15-year-old received his maiden India call-up.

On Saturday, June 6, the BCCI announced Team India’s T20I squad for the upcoming series against Ireland and England, along with the squad for the Asian Games 2026. Shortly after the announcement, Agarkar addressed a press conference in Mumbai.

Sooryavanshi was rewarded for his outstanding performance in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. The teenager finished the tournament as the highest run-scorer, amassing 776 runs at a strike rate of 237.31 and an average of 48.50. He smashed 72 sixes and 63 fours in the cash-rich league.

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Speaking to reporters, Agarkar said that Sooryavanshi’s age was irrelevant, stressing that if a player is good enough, he is old enough.

He highlighted how the young prodigy had single-handedly carried the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2026. While praising the 15-year-old, Agarkar described him as a “game-changer” and added that everyone has high expectations of him.

“If you’re good enough, you’re old enough. We’ve seen what he can do, towards the playoffs, he almost single-handedly carried Rajasthan Royals. Not just this season, he had a great start and backed it up in a competition that is as competitive and high-pressure. He’s a game-changer. We’ve got high hopes for him, and he has picked himself,” Agarkar said.

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In the U19 World Cup 2026, Sooryavanshi was the second-highest run-scorer, tallying 439 runs from seven matches at a strike rate of 169.49 and an average of 62.71. He registered one century and three half-centuries in the ICC event.

India's Squad for England and Ireland Tour: Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Isha Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (VC), Nitish Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

India's Squad for Asian Games 2026: Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.