'He's good enough to play' - Michael Vaughan urges India to pick Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for England tour
This comes after the 15-year-old took the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) by storm, scoring a 17-ball 52 against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to help his side ease to an eight-wicket victory.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan has suggested that Team India pick Rajasthan Royals (RR) starlet Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for their upcoming white-ball tour to England.
This comes after the 15-year-old took the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) by storm, scoring a 17-ball 52 against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to help his side ease to an eight-wicket victory.
Vaughan did imply that it is probably too early for Sooryavanshi to break into the India side based on the calibre of players at their disposal. However, being around the international setup will be hugely beneficial for the left-handed batter in helping him prepare for his eventual international debut in the coming years.
"When will he make his Indian debut? And I'm just looking, and I know we're probably getting ahead of ourselves. It's only the first innings of the IPL, but there's a white-ball tour to England in a few months' time. And if I was Indian cricket, I would get him on that tour. Not necessarily, he's going to get into players that are in the team at the moment, but the one thing that he's going to need is he's going to need to be brought into the Indian team and the kind of surroundings of what Indian cricket is," Vaughan said on Cricbuzz’s YouTube channel.
The former player-turned-expert, however, does fall back and suggest that the RR teenager is already good enough to don the iconic Blue jersey.
"Just bring him in, and if he plays one or two games, fantastic, but get him on a tour. Is he allowed to go on tours as a 15-year-old? I'd be giving him a little bit of experience with that Indian team. Not necessarily, as I said, jumping straight into the side, but just having him around. He's good enough to play. I do not doubt that," he added.
Sooryavanshi has seen a meteoric rise ever since he made his IPL debut last year at the age of 14. The aggressive batter has since then gone on to make hundreds in the IPL, Vijay Hazare Trophy, and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He also took the most recent U19 World Cup by storm, scoring 175 from just 80 balls in the final against England to help his side lift the trophy.
England vs India 2026 schedule
| Match | Date | Venue |
| 1st T20I | July 1 | Banks Homes Riverside, Durham |
| 2nd T20I | July 4 | Old Trafford, Manchester |
| 3rd T20I | July 7 | Trent Bridge, Nottingham |
| 4th T20I | July 9 | Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol |
| 5th T20I | July 11 | Utilita Bowl, Southampton |
| 1st ODI | July 14 | Edgbaston, Birmingham |
| 2nd ODI | July 16 | Sophia Gardens, Cardiff |
| 3rd ODI | July 19 | Lord's Cricket Ground, London |
Download Our App