Sooryavanshi stands on the cusp of becoming the youngest debutant for India in the Ireland T20Is.
Earlier this month, teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made history by earning his maiden senior national call-up to India's T20I squad for the upcoming tours of Ireland and England, as well as for the 2026 Asian Games.
At 15 years and 71 days old, Sooryavanshi shattered Sachin Tendulkar's 36-year-old record to become the youngest-ever player selected to a senior Indian squad. He now stands on the cusp of becoming the youngest debutant for India in the two-match T20I series against Ireland, starting June 26 in Belfast.
Amid the hype around Sooryavanshi, former India head coach Rahul Dravid also shared his thoughts on the wonder kid from Bihar.
"I think it's an incredible combination of ability to pick up a bowler's speed and then cricket smarts, fearlessness. It's a whole combination of things," Dravid said while speaking to BBC.
He added: "I don't think there's a recipe for making a Sooryavanshi, I don't think you can take any kid and say, do this, and he will become that good. There are certain things they are just gifted with."
However, Dravid, who worked with Sooryavanshi at the Rajasthan Royals last year, believes the teenager’s success comes from extreme hard work and natural gift.
"But he's worked very hard as well, so it's not just a gift. From a young age, he's hit a lot of balls. I saw that at Rajasthan," the former India captain stated.
Rahul Dravid stressed the young star must be carefully protected while also being given space to grow.
"I just hope that he's supported and helped along the journey to be able to actually achieve that potential. You need to protect someone like him, but it's always going to be that fine line because sometimes you need to let somebody fly," he remarked.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s India selection comes directly on the back of a record-breaking IPL 2026 campaign where he finished as the Most Valuable Player and Orange Cap winner for the Rajasthan Royals (RR), hammering 776 runs at a staggering strike rate of 237.30. Along the way, he dominated high-profile bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah, Pat Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood.
As Sooryavanshi gears up for his maiden series with India’s senior men’s team in UK, the BCCI will allow his parents to accompany him on the tour
"You see, not all national teams at the senior level have a 14 or 15-year-old in their squad. After many decades, we have someone like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi," BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia told PTI.
"At one point in time, it was Sachin Tendulkar (16 and a half at the time of his Test debut) who made it to the national team at such a young age. When such a young kid is part of the senior team, there are obviously a lot of issues that can crop up," he added.
"Therefore, to make him comfortable and help him get used to an adult environment, where all the other players are above 18 years of age, and the team management members are also adults, we felt it would be helpful. We are doing this because we believe it will ease a lot of issues as far as Vaibhav is concerned," he further stated.