Former India captain and legendary opener Kris Srikkanth has strongly backed 15-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, calling him a potential “next demi-god of cricket” and urging the selectors to move quickly on his India call-up. Drawing bold parallels with Sachin Tendulkar’s early rise, Srikkanth wants chief selector Ajit Agarkar to include the teenager in the senior setup without delay.
Sooryavanshi’s explosive run in IPL 2026 has sparked a nationwide debate about how soon a young talent should be fast-tracked to international cricket. The left-hander has not just looked comfortable against top-level attacks, but has also shown the kind of fearlessness that separates special players from the rest. According to Srikkanth, age should not stand in the way of opportunity when a batter is already capable of winning matches.
Speaking on The Week podcast, Srikkanth made his stance clear. “Fast-track him. Next series, he should be playing,” he said. “He should be in the T20 World Cup team, in the 15. Let him get the feel of international cricket.”
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The former India skipper, who led Tendulkar during the batting legend’s debut tour of Pakistan, said Sooryavanshi reminds him of the same kind of raw confidence.
“First ball, Jasprit Bumrah, six. Josh Hazlewood, he hammers him,” Kris Srikkanth said. “He is not bothered at all.”
The numbers behind Sooryavanshi’s rise are equally stunning. He is currently among the frontrunners for the Orange Cap, having scored 246 runs in just six matches at an average of 41.00 and a blistering strike rate of 236.53. Those returns have made him one of the most talked-about players in IPL 2026.
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This is not a one-off purple patch either. Sooryavanshi already has an IPL century to his name and was a key figure in India’s Under-19 World Cup triumph, where he smashed 175 in the final against England. With the BCCI reportedly considering him for the Ireland tour, the teenager could be on the verge of a senior India debut. For Srikkanth, the verdict is simple: the boy is ready now.
