BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla has strongly backed India’s selection policy after Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made his long-awaited international debut, saying the teenager’s inclusion shows that the national setup rewards performance, not outside pressure. Sooryavanshi finally got his chance in the second T20I against England in Manchester, becoming the youngest player to represent India in international cricket at just 15 years and 99 days.
The youngster had been left out during the Ireland series and the opening T20I against England, as the team management continued to back the experienced top-order combination of Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan. However, Samson’s lack of form eventually opened the door for the Rajasthan Royals star, who had been pushing hard for a breakthrough.
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“Huge congratulations to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi on his debut and for receiving this opportunity. The BCCI does not treat anyone unfairly; those who deserve it get their chance. There was a lot of uproar on social media claiming that opportunities weren’t being given; people were criticising both the coach and the captain. But that wasn’t the case,” Rajeev Shukla told ANI.
He also made it clear that Sooryavanshi’s debut had always been a matter of timing. “I had said just the other day that when the right moment arrived, he would certainly get his chance, and yesterday, he did. I believe he will perform well in the future and truly come into his own. It is an excellent decision by the team management, and we should appreciate it,” he added.
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Sooryavanshi showed flashes of his talent on debut, scoring a promising 14 off 10 balls. The left-hander hit two sixes before being stumped by Will Jacks, offering an early glimpse of the aggressive batting that earned him a maiden India call-up after a record-breaking IPL 2026 season.
Even so, India slipped to a four-wicket defeat as England chased 191, with Jacob Bethell helping the hosts take a 1-0 lead in the five-match T20I series.
