A group of former England cricketers, including Michael Vaughan, David Lloyd, Alastair Cook, Alex Hartley, and Phil Tufnell, discussed the swift ascent of 15-year-old batting talent Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The young player made a strong impression by scoring a century in his IPL debut last season and ranks among the leading scorers this year, briefly holding the top batting honors. During the Stick to Cricket podcast, Vaughan and Tufnell supported selecting the Rajasthan Royals player for India’s senior team on the forthcoming T20 tour of Ireland post-IPL.
Vaughan went further, stating that as a selector, he would include Sooryavanshi in the white-ball series against England later this year.
Alex Hartley, a former England women’s spinner, praised the ‘confident flair’ in Sooryavanshi’s approach, noting his composure against top global bowlers.
Vaughan wrapped up by observing that Sooryavanshi’s strong showings have sometimes eclipsed those of his opening partner, Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Key excerpts from the podcast:
Vaughan: Sooryavanshi has 246 runs at an average of 41 and a strike rate of 236.
Lloyd: Shouldn’t he be in school? You can’t skip education.
Vaughan: I don’t believe he’s in school, Dave. I think he’ll join the T20 squad for Ireland. I’d pick him for the England series this summer.
Tufnell: Why not? What’s stopping it?
Cook: Does he even have a passport?
Vaughan: If he were 20, no one would hesitate. Just because he’s 15, people get cautious. He effortlessly hit Jasprit Bumrah for six.
Hartley: These young players today have this great confidence. They ignore the pressure and just play. I admire how he faces someone like Jofra Archer and smashes it away. Why not select him?
Vaughan: He’s the new T20 opener. Jaiswal has performed well alongside, but sometimes Sooryavanshi makes him seem average by comparison, and Jaiswal is excellent.
