Is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi ready to play for India?

Hardik Pandya called him 17-16-year-old. His Rajasthan Royals skipper Riyan Parag described him as “16 or whatever it is”.

Sooryavanshi’s age had become a talking point when one of his childhood interviews surfaced on social media. It’s irrelevant now. As Parag said, “whatever it is”. The 15-year-old with a cherubic face has been ripping apart the best-laid bowling plans in IPL. Last year, he scored 252 runs in seven matches at a strike rate of 207 in his debut season. In IPL 2026, in four matches he’s already scored 200 runs at a SR of 267.

His admirers are growing by the day. Jos Buttler said he was more starstruck than the teenager when they met. Virat Kohli signed on his Orange Cap on Friday, adding to his cabinet of mementos. There is an air of inevitability about Sooryavanshi playing for India. How soon is a question for the selectors to answer.