File photo: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi could be in contention for an India senior team debut against Ireland. | Photo Credit: SLC Media

Many eyes will be trained to see if Vaibhav Sooryavanshi makes his India debut when it takes on Ireland in the first T20I between the sides at the Civil Service Country Ground in Belfast on June 26.

If he plays, Sooryavanshi will become the youngest player to debut for the Indian men’s team, and the second-youngest overall behind Gargi Bannerjee, who played for India at 14 years and 165 days.

Sooryavanshi has forced his name into national contention after a record-shattering IPL 2026 season in which he won the Orange Cap award for most runs, piling up 776 runs at an average of 48.50 and an eye-watering strike-rate of 237.30.

However, the early indications are that Sooryavanshi will have to wait his turn to play behind India’s settled top-order of Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, and Ishan Kishan.

Speaking ahead of the match on Thursday, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said that it would be unfair to push Sooryavanshi ahead of established names in the batting order.

“Vaibhav is very talented, there is no doubt. And the way he has batted in IPL and all the other games, there is no need to tell that he has got a lot of natural abilities. Because in IPL he has faced Jofra, a lot of quick bowlers, a lot of experienced bowlers. And it seems that nothing is bothering him. So he is obviously an extraordinary talent,” he said.

“Today evening, captain and head coach will decide about the team. And if he plays great, if he doesn’t play also for me, that is great because he is part of Indian team. And I am sure that he will get his dues and his opportunities. So I don’t think that just to give him an opportunity, we should drop someone who has already been scoring runs.

“That also won’t be right. I think there is a very thin line between trying to give somebody an opportunity and you are being unfair to some other player,” said Kotak.

Published on Jun 26, 2026