"Let the kid play": Vaibhav Sooryavanshi receives clearance amid Team India debut speculations
Published - 16 Apr 2026, 11:03 AM | Updated - 16 Apr 2026, 11:31 AM
15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is only a few steps away from making his Team India debut. If the reports are to be believed, then the budding batting talent can play his first-ever match for the senior cricket team during the Ireland tour or during the Asian Games.
Experts have different opinions on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's possible debut at the age of only 15. While a few cricket experts suggest the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for grooming the talent, former Australia skipper Aaron Finch expressed a different opinion.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is likely to make his Team India debut at the age of 15
The debate is over the timing. The left-handed batter has been in tremendous form since the previous season of the Indian Premier League. After the IPL 2025 season, the Bihar-born headlines by winning the ICC U-19 World Cup for India. In the final, he smashed a record-breaking century against England, and then he continued the same form for the Rajasthan Royals as well in the ongoing IPL 2026 season.
If BCCI allows Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to make his Team India debut at the age of only 15, then he will break legendary Sachin Tendulkar’s record, who played his first match for the nation at the age of 16 years and 205 days.
Aaron Finch opines on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's Team India debut
Aaron Finch said that the right time may have arrived to introduce Vaibhav Sooryavanshi at the highest order of the game.
“Is it the right time to introduce him? Maybe it’s the right time to introduce him to the squad. Give him some time. But it’s also really important that you respect the players that are doing the job, game in, game out, for India. Playing cricket for India, I imagine, is the highest pressure you could feel,” the former opener said on ESPNCricinfo.
Finch also stated that the selection process must be a fair way, as the existing players of the team have done a lot for the team.
“They’re coming off a World Cup win. So, respecting that and an understanding that, yeah, there are good players around a really good superstar youngster coming through the ranks, but these guys have done it on the biggest stage, so I think you still have to respect that and wait for an opportunity to present itself,” he added.
Just let the kid play: Aaron Finch
In a final verdict, Aaron Finch boldly asks the board to allow Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to play. The former cricketer further said that Vaibhav is yet to learn a lot of things.
“Just let the kid play. Let him be a youngster and continue to learn the game. He’s obviously an incredibly fast learner, whether it be technically or tactically, but he’s still got so much to learn, and I love the fact that he seems to come up with different plans a lot of the time,” Finch said.
“That shows his growth as a player, as such a young person; that’s a really incredible skill, and no doubt that the opportunity will come. But just don’t put too much pressure on the youngster. Just let him play,” he added.
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