The spotlight will firmly be on teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi when India face Ireland in the opening T20I of the two-match series in Belfast on Friday. While Shreyas Iyer begins his tenure as India’s new T20I captain, much of the pre-match buzz surrounds the 15-year-old opener, who has rapidly emerged as one of the country’s most exciting batting prospects.

Sooryavanshi earned his maiden senior India call-up after an impressive IPL campaign, backed by consistent performances for the India Under-19 and India A teams. Ahead of the series opener, the youngster trained with the senior squad for the first time, and videos shared by the BCCI quickly grabbed fans’ attention.

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The left-hander looked confident in the nets, playing fearless attacking strokes against established international bowlers, including Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Tilak Varma. The biggest question, however, is whether Sooryavanshi will make his much-awaited India debut in the first T20I. Despite the growing excitement, team selection remains complicated because India’s opening combination is already well settled.

Start of something special 🌟

🎥 Glimpses of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s first time in the #TeamIndia nets 🤩#IREvIND pic.twitter.com/zp3mPMch5R

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 26, 2026

Sanju Samson enjoyed a dream T20 World Cup campaign, finishing as the Player of the Tournament with 321 runs, including a match-winning 89 in the final against New Zealand. Abhishek Sharma, although inconsistent during the tournament, delivered when it mattered most with a blistering 52 off just 21 balls in the title clash.

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Dropping either batter immediately after India’s World Cup triumph appears unlikely. Even so, Sooryavanshi’s opportunity is expected to arrive sooner rather than later. With seven T20Is scheduled on the UK tour—two against Ireland and five against England—the highly rated youngster is widely tipped to receive his first India cap before the tour concludes, marking the beginning of what many believe could be a special international career.