Vaibhav Sooryavanshi debut? Sunil Gavaskar’s huge DEMAND for Team India for 15-year-old sensation

India’s disappointing tour of Ireland has left the team management with plenty of questions ahead of the five-match T20I series against England. While India’s batting struggled in both defeats, the biggest talking point remains the absence of teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who is yet to make his international debut despite earning his maiden call-up after a sensational IPL season.

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar believes India have already missed one opportunity by not playing the 15-year-old in Ireland. Now, he feels the team management should waste no more time and hand Sooryavanshi his debut in the very first T20I against England.

Gavaskar wants Sooryavanshi to debut against England

India lost both T20Is against Ireland under new captain Shreyas Iyer, with the batting unit failing to deliver in crucial moments.

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Openers Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma managed only one notable innings between them across the two matches. Samson scored 5 and 0, while Abhishek followed his 49 in the first T20I with a duck in the second.

With the England series beginning on July 1, Gavaskar believes the time has come to unleash Sooryavanshi.

“I have been saying this for one month. Sooryavanshi, with the form that he is in, could have been played in both matches. In one match, you could have played Abhishek Sharma with Sooryavanshi; in the other, you could have made Abhishek bat lower and play Samson. It’s not as if there was surety that Sooryavanshi would have won the match. Maybe he could have failed also, but if you had to try youngsters, this series against Ireland was a very good opportunity,” Gavaskar said on Aaj Tak.

Read Must: Sunil Gavaskar blasts India’s Ireland series defeat, calls it ‘One of the Lowest’ in history

‘Play him in the first match’: Gavaskar

There has been speculation that India’s series defeat could delay Sooryavanshi’s debut, with the team now under pressure to bounce back against England.

However, Gavaskar dismissed that suggestion and insisted the youngster must feature from the opening game itself.

“No, you have to play him in the first match. It’s as simple as that. Remove your out-of-form players and play Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. You can even play your regular openers and make Sooryavanshi bat at No. 3. But you have to play him from the first match against England on July 1,” he added.

Former captain suggests changes in batting order

Gavaskar also offered a possible batting combination for the England series.

He admitted that Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma have played an important role for India over the past year and a half and therefore should not be dropped purely because of two poor matches.

Instead, he suggested making changes in the middle order to accommodate Sooryavanshi.

“Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson have given India great starts in the last year and a half. So to drop them after two matches is not right. My opinion is to drop those who are not scoring in the middle order and play Sooryavanshi at No. 3. Ishan Kishan can come in at No. 4, Shreyas Iyer at No. 5. After that, you can do whatever you want. But on July 1, if you have to shock England, Sooryavanshi has to play. Maybe he will fail, but if he succeeds, England will be shocked. England might be overconfident too after India’s loss to Ireland. To take advantage of the overconfidence, India need to play Sooryavanshi,” Gavaskar said.

England series could finally bring his debut

Sooryavanshi has been one of the most talked-about young cricketers in the country after his record-breaking IPL 2026 campaign, but he is still waiting for his first India cap.

With India looking to recover from an unexpected series defeat and England arriving with confidence, all eyes will now be on the team selection for the opening T20I in Durham. If Gavaskar’s advice is followed, Indian fans may finally get to see one of the country’s brightest young talents make his long-awaited international debut.