Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is in line to make his India senior debut in T20Is against Ireland.
Ireland captain Lorcan Tucker has admitted that they’ve done as much research as they can on the young Vaibhav Sooryavanshi ahead of the first T20I against India in Belfast on June 26. He also called the young batter an incredible talent.
India will play two T20Is on their tour of Ireland, on June 26 and on June 28, with both matches to be played at the Civil Service Cricket Club, Stormont, in Belfast.
All eyes are on the 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who became the youngest player ever to be included in India’s squad and might break Sachin Tendulkar’s record for the youngest Indian debutant if he’s included in the India XI for the first T20I.
Ireland captain Lorcan Tucker has been taken aback by the hype surrounding India's 15-year-old batting star Vaibhav Sooryavanshi ahead of the next T20I series, calling his ascension "pretty incredible" for the current professional era.
“It’s pretty incredible for them to have a 15-year-old on their team. I didn't ever think that was going to be possible in this professional era of the game, especially with the amount of work that goes into professional cricket and the standard of the players. So, credit to him—he's a pretty special player,” Tucker said in the pre-match press conference on Thursday.
Tucker also highlighted the wider excitement generated by the youngster’s emergence, especially among Ireland’s sizeable Indian community.
“We have a huge Indian community in Ireland that I know will be massively ready to watch this game, and they'll see Vaibhav. That's what most of the hype is about here, about him making his debut in this series,” he added.
Reflecting on Sooryavanshi’s rapid rise, Tucker added, “He's obviously an absolutely incredible talent. We've tried to do as much research as we can on him. I think he blew the IPL up, incredibly hitting 75 sixes or whatever it was; like, the skill level there is absolutely incredible.”
He further underlined the broader impact of the teenager’s emergence on the sport.
“It gives the game something to talk about. It's really exciting. Energy like that coming into a series is fabulous not only for us but also for people coming to watch, for people watching at home, and for those kids playing around the corner.
As much as we try to be role models for the Irish players, I think as much as it's the responsibility, I think, of all players around the world to be role models. So, I know Vaibhav is only a young boy, but he's still an incredible player, and he is a pretty special role model for cricketers all around the world now and kids coming through,” he said.
Both the T20I matches in Ireland will begin at 6pm IST.
(Times of India inputs)