BCCI selection panel chief Ajit Agarkar shared the rationale behind choosing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as the India T20I squads for the Ireland and England tour, and the Asian Games 2026 were unveiled on June 6, 2026.
Several former cricket players had enthusiastically supported his selection, and public opinion had already rendered its decision.
Ajit Agarkar, the chairman of selectors, said that the committee had little choice but to choose Sooryavanshi since he left little room for doubt and made himself impossible to ignore with a mountain of runs.
Sooryavanshi hammered 776 runs in 16 games with one century and five fifties with a strike rate of 236.30 for the Rajasthan Royals. He scored a century against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the league stage and then smashed a couple of 90s against SRH and GT in the playoffs.
"What do you say about Vaibhav? We’ve seen what he can do. You saw that even towards those playoffs, he single-handedly carried the Rajasthan Royals. I don’t need to talk about how well he’s batting or how well he’s playing. And it’s not just this season. He obviously had a great start last season, and to back it up for a young kid in a competition that's in an environment that’s as competitive and as high-pressure as the IPL, he’s an explosive game-changer. Like everyone else who’s watched T20 cricket, we have high hopes of him, and I think he has just picked himself well," Agarkar said in the press conference.
“His performances… he's forced us to pick him with how well he's played. I know his age… how young he is and early in his career. But like I said, two IPLs in a row – what he was doing at the Under-19 level was probably a step down to what the IPL or senior cricket is. But we can all see what kind of talent he has, and we are hopeful that, if and when he gets the opportunity to play for the country, he will show the same ability. Playing for the country will mean tougher challenges, but he has shown tremendous temperament. He's picked himself through his performances,” he added.
Sooryavanshi struck hundreds in England, Australia, and South Africa before blasting another in the final of the Under-19 World Cup with a stunning 175, securing the Indian colts' sixth title. He also scored 190 for Bihar in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
In addition, Sooryavanshi eclipsed Chris Gayle's record for the most sixes in an IPL season (59) by hitting 72 in the IPL 2026.
Sooryavanshi is currently in Sri Lanka with the India A team for the one-day tri-series that will be played from June 9 to 21, but has now been named in India’s T20I squad for the UK tour that begins on June 26.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia hinted that Sooryavanshi could be released early to join the squad traveling to the UK.
“The way the announcement has been made, we will have to think about the fact that he is a part of the India A squad for the tri-nation as well. And he’s part of the England and Ireland series. We will have to take a call because the finalization of his selection took place today, about an hour ago. We’ll have to take a call and decide what’s best for him. The priority will be for him to go to Ireland and England. You will know at an appropriate time. But yes, we are very careful about his future, and our selectors and personnel are monitoring his every step,” he said.
(PTI inputs)
