Vaibhav Sooryavanshi joins India dressing room ahead of international debut

The 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is all set to make history on Friday, June 26, making him the youngest to play for the Indian men's team. Ahead of his momentous international debut against Ireland for the two-match T20I series, Sooryavanshi has joined the dressing room, sharing his initial impressions and thoughts on what it means to the Samastipur-born cricketer.

Sooryavanshi opened up on the debut and getting the first look at his Indian jersey. He iterated that words are falling short to explain what it means to him to become an Indian cricketer, further saying that this was the exact reason why he picked up a cricket bat and went to the ground for practice at a very young age. The 15-year-old, who is yet to hit puberty, says he does not know how to react to the moment.

"Words truly cannot explain that. The reason I picked up the bat from day one and went to the cricket ground for practice: today that dream was fulfilled. The biggest step in that journey was completed today. I truly cannot put these feelings into words," the youngster was quoted as saying in a social media post by BCCI.

"The moment I saw that t-shirt, I could not stop smiling. Sometimes, some things happen that you never even imagine could happen. And when it finally does, you do not how to react. That was exactly how I felt," he expressed further.

The debut has not come easy for Sooryavanshi. He has proven himself at the highest level by playing marquee events like the Ranji Trophy, ICC Under-19 World Cup, and bilaterals for India A. Beyond, he caught the attention of the world by displaying his exceptional cricketing talent in the Indian Premier League, scoring 776 runs in just 16 matches to win the Orange Cap and several other accolades in 2026.

His most recent outing ahead of the international debut was the ODI tri-series in Sri Lanka, where the left-handed batter scored a thunderous 94 off just 29 balls in the finale to help India A win the assignment. On the back of this awe-inspiring outing, Sooryavanshi also registered the fastest half-century in the List A format.

Speaking of the Ireland series, both the T20Is will be played in Belfast, with the first to be played on June 26 and the subsequent one on June 28. Shreyas Iyer will be leading the Indian team, which also has the likes of Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, and Ishan Kishan. It will be interesting to see if any changes are made to the top order from the T20 World Cup 2026, where the Men in Blue emerged triumphant.