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England star Jos Buttler has heaped praise on India’s newest teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi ahead of the white-ball series between the two sides. The former England captain believes that the cricket world is about to witness something special.
The 15-year-old sensation recently received a maiden call-up to the India squad for the upcoming T20I series in Ireland later this month, followed by the England tour in July. If he plays in either of these series, Vaibhav will become the youngest cricketer ever to represent India at the international level. He already got the backing for India's Olympic T20 team
Jos Buttler backs Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for historic India call-up
After Greg Chappell's stunning verdict on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Jos Buttler has stressed that the left-handed batter fully deserves his place in the Indian squad after his incredible performances for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2026. He also spoke about how Indian selection has become extremely competitive, with even big names missing out due to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s rise.
Jos Buttler said on his YouTube podcast, ‘For The Love of Cricket,' “15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has got a deserved call-up into an incredibly strong India side. So strong that they have dropped their World Cup-winning captain. He was a serious, serious player.
And while his form has not been at the same level as it was before, the next World Cup is in 2028, so they wanted that change. They picked Shreyas Iyer, who won it with KKR and then had a good effect on Punjab Kings.”
He added, “More than anything, his numbers with the bat have been brilliant. Vaibhav is incredibly well known already. He was the MVP of the tournament, scoring more than 700 runs at a strike rate above 200. Any player putting up those numbers gets picked. He absolutely deserves his place.”
Buttler reveals Sachin Tendulkar vs Vaibhav Sooryavanshi debate with Gujarat Titans coach during IPL 2026
Buttler also recalled the conversation with his Gujarat Titans coach Ashish Kapoor during the IPL 2026, when they discussed the ‘furore’ around Vaibhav and how famous the teenage sensation has become even before making his debut for India.
The former England captain said, “I asked him what it was like compared to Sachin because he is from that generation and grew up watching him.” To this, Kapoor explained that everyone has watched Vaibhav’s bat and seen what he has done in the biggest T20 tournament in the world, so he is already so famous, and that’s the real difference, thanks to social media.
How Sachin became a legend without online fame
But in Sachin Tendulkar’s time, there was no social media or YouTube, so people mostly read about him in newspapers or heard stories from others. And the Gujarat Titans assistant coach said because of that, there was not much buzz around Tendulkar when he entered the scene.
Buttler added, “When Sachin was coming through, people were reading about him in newspapers. It was all whispers and stories about this extraordinary talent that you simply had to watch. Unless you were on the ground or happened to catch him live on television, you didn't really see him. There were no highlight packages, no social media, and none of the exposure players get today.”
