Former England all-rounder Graeme Swann has backed teenage batsman Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to feature in India’s T20I series against Ireland, calling him a “box office man at the moment” and saying his inclusion in India’s squad is good for world cricket.Sooryavanshi, who was named in India’s squad for the upcoming T20I tours of Ireland and England on Saturday, became the youngest player ever to be selected for an Indian team at the age of 15 years and 71 days. He broke the record previously held by Sachin Tendulkar, who made his Test debut at the age of 16 years and 205 days against Pakistan in Karachi on 15 November 1989.
Speaking on JioStar, Swan said he wants to see Sooryavanshi play in the two-match T20I series against Ireland starting June 26 in Belfast.“I’m happy he’s been picked for international cricket. He’s a box office man at the moment. I think he should play against Ireland. I wasn’t quite sure how well he would go into this Indian Premier League,” Swan said.“I knew he had talent and he scored a hundred in the Under-19 World Cup final. But I thought the world-class bowlers would spot him. There will be a lot of pace and a lot of planning against him,” Swan added.Sooryavanshi handled all the challenges during IPL 2026 with confidence, Swan said.
“The 97 he scored in the Eliminator (of the IPL), I’ve rarely seen him bat like that. As he was smashing Pat Cummins all over the ground, I was thinking, ‘This kid is the real deal,'” Swan said.“I didn’t see any point in not bringing him in, or not including him in the first team, because you have an absolute world-class player on your hands for the next 20 years,” Swan added.Sooryavanshi earned his maiden India call-up after finishing IPL 2026 as the tournament’s top run-scorer. While playing for Rajasthan Royals, he scored 776 runs at a strike rate of 237.30, including one century and five fifties.The Board of Control for Cricket in India on Saturday announced the Indian T20I squads for the tours of Ireland and England. Shreyas Iyer has been appointed captain, while Tilak Varma has been appointed vice-captain.India’s T20 World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar Yadav has been left out of the squad. Fast bowler Prince Yadav also received his maiden call-up.