Teenage cricket sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continues to leave fans around the world astounded by his incredible feats, and after India left him out of their series against Ireland and promptly lost, the focus now is on whether he will get his shot in the second T20 against England.
Ireland sealed a historic first series victory in any format against India with a thrilling one-run win in the second T20 international in Belfast, inflicting the tourists' first T20I series defeat since their loss against West Indies in August 2023.
India opted against giving Sooryavanshi his first cap in that series, and the 15-year-old was left out once more in India's washed-out first T20I against England in Durham.
But with the side misfiring, will the Rajasthan Royals star be unleashed to make his mark on the international stage?
Born in Tajpur, a town in the district of Bihar in northern India in 2011, Sooryavanshi made his first-class cricket debut in 2024 at the age of 12 years and 284 days.
He was named in India's U19 squad later that year and announced himself to the cricketing world during a youth Test against Australia, hitting a 58-ball century. An IPL contract came a few months later, with Sooryavanshi becoming the youngest player in the league's history, at 13, to be bought at the IPL auction, by Rajasthan Royals for £105,000.
Even from the first ball he faced in the IPL, the teenager who idolises Brian Lara and has been mentored by former India opener Wasim Jaffer, was earmarked for greatness.
At the age of 14 years and 23 days, he stepped up to the crease for Rajasthan Royals to take on Lucknow Super Giants and fearlessly struck Shardul Thakur for six off his first ball.
Nine days later, he was crowned the IPL's youngest centurion with a 35-ball ton against Gujarat Titans. It was five deliveries short of Chris Gayle's record-fastest hundred in the league's history of 30.
The T20 world champions have a breadth of exciting talent at their disposal, and questions had been raised over whether selectors would look to tweak their winning formula by bringing in Sooryavanshi this summer.
Including the youngster certainly felt like a matter of when and not if, and considering his feats this year in the IPL, selectors have brought him into the international fold, particularly as India look ahead to 2028, where they hope to defend their white-ball title at the next ICC T20 World Cup.
After scoring 252 runs in his debut IPL season, his performances in the 2026 campaign have been nothing short of incredible.
Sooryavanshi was the first player in IPL history to be crowned the league's Most Valuable Player and to win the Emerging Player award in 2026, after he won the league's Orange Cap, awarded to the highest run-scorer across the season.
While guiding Rajasthan Royals to the IPL play-offs, Sooryavanshi struck 776 runs across 16 matches, including 72 sixes, breaking Gayle's record for the most sixes hit across an IPL season.
Comparisons were made to the likes of Virat Kohli during his record-breaking 973-run season in the IPL, with Sooryavanshi's 2026 total putting him fifth on the rankings for the most runs ever scored during a single IPL season.
And while the Royals were unable to make the IPL final this year, the 15-year-old wrapped up his season in magnificent style, scoring his 1,000th run in the league, joining Lendl Simmons as the second-fastest player to do so off 23 innings.
He did his talking on the pitch and has now been rewarded for his brilliant performances, with India's selection panel chairman Ajit Agarkar explaining: "He has picked himself!"
Agarkar added: "Sooryavanshi had a great start and backed it up in a competition that is as competitive and high-pressure.
"He's a game-changer and we've got high hopes for him."
Former England white-ball captain Eoin Morgan:
"I was out of the IPL again this year, and it's the second season running where he's just done things that I have never seen a batter do regardless of what age you are, but to do it as a 15-year-old is just absolutely mind-boggling.
"He hit more sixes than anybody has ever hit in this year's IPL. He went past Chris Gayle's record that had been longstanding for 10 or 12 years, scoring over 700 runs against the very best bowlers.
"You could not find a way of bowling at him.
"When it comes to handling his future - undoubtedly he is going to have a long international future ahead of him - I would not be putting a time pressure or timeline on it.
"When an opportunity comes around, he will be ready regardless.
"Sometimes you don't have to force things, sometimes things happen naturally. [His opportunity could come from] an injury throughout this series or even, a concussion sub, or just through lack of form.
"But we're looking at the next, could be 20 years he could be playing, and longer."
Sooryavanshi faced off against England in the final of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in February, guiding India to a 100-run victory.
He made a stunning 175 from 80 balls during that match before he was crowned the player of the series.
Your Site Cricket's Mark Butcher tuned in to watch the game and said he was gobsmacked by the youngster's talents.
"Sooryavanshi's ball-striking is utterly phenomenal," the former England batter said.
"He first came to my notice during the ICC U19 World Cup final against England, and just from that, his follow-through, his ability to find every corner of the ground - the first thing that flashed into my head was Sir Garfield Sobers.
"The bat swing that goes all the way round and almost slaps him in the back. There is pure commitment to hitting the ball as hard as he can.
"This was U19 cricket, so you've got to caveat it. People are asking: 'Is he going to be able to transfer that into the men's game?' And then he does this, and still people are going: 'He's not going to be able to do it on a cold night in Stoke!'"
Butcher added: "I'm saying, he has done it in the IPL, the biggest and best T20 competition in the world, and against the best players - he flayed Pat Cummins.
"He is an astonishing talent, and it will be great to see him over here."
Former New Zealand bowler Simon Doull believes India are wise to bring Sooryavanshi into the international fold now, ahead of the 2028 ICC T20 World Cup.
"Sooryavanshi is the leading run scorer in the IPL," Doull said. "He'll have another two years of experience heading into the next T20 World Cup.
"They've got to get him into the side, they had to find a way. He forced his way in purely and simply from runs. Shreyas Iyer has done the same thing."
Doull added that Sooryavanshi will have no issues playing on the international stage, having starred in front of thousands of fans in the IPL.
"It's the mindset of many a young Indian player at the moment, and it's what the IPL has done, the bravado, the excitement," Doull said.
"He won't play in front of a bigger crowd outside of India in a World Cup.
"You're playing against the best in the world, as Butch said, it sets you up beautifully for international cricket."
First T20 (Wednesday July 1) - Banks Homes Riverside, Durham - washed out after India posted 189
Second T20 (Saturday July 4) - Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester (2.30pm)
Third T20 (Tuesday July 7) - Trent Bridge, Nottingham (5.30pm)
Fourth T20 (Thursday July 9) - Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol (5.30pm)
Fifth T20 (Saturday July 11) - Utilita Bowl, Southampton (2.30pm)
Watch all five of England's T20 matches against India live on Your Site. Not got Sky? or .
