Cartoons & hose hands – what makes Sooryavanshi, 15, special?Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has the highest strike-rate (220.48) of any batter to score more than 500 T20 runs since the beginning of 2025ByTimothy AbrahamBBC Sport JournalistPublished39 minutes agoThey can ignore him no longer. After smashing so many records since breaking through as a 13-year-old, India are likely to hand a debut to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in Friday’s first T20 international against Ireland in Belfast.He will be 15 years and 91 days, younger even than India’s most famous teenage prodigy, Sachin Tendulkar, who played a one-day international against Pakistan in 1989, aged 16 years and 205 days.Given his age, Sooryavanshi will have to change in separate changing rooms from his team-mates for safeguarding reasons.His imminent debut comes off the back of a stellar season in the Indian Premier League where he was the highest run-scorer with 776 in 16 innings at a strike-rate of 237.30 for the Rajasthan Royals.Days ago, batting for India A against Sri Lanka A, he broke the record for the fastest half-century in the history of List A 50-over cricket when he reached the landmark off just 11 balls.
But beyond the statistics, what really makes teenage opening batter so special?
To find out, BBC Sport spoke to three legendary former batters – Rahul Dravid, Michael Vaughan and Justin Langer – who have all watched him at close quarters.
