Teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi has been put in the mix for a spot in the India squad for Asia Cup 2025 ahead the announcement tomorrow. The Rajasthan Royals opener was a revelation in the IPL 2025 earlier this year and former India cricketer and selector Kris Srikkanth wants the youngster to be fast-tracked into the national team.
After being the youngest cricketer to enter the auction and getting signed for INR 1.1 crore, Suryavanshi made history by becoming the youngest cricketer to slam a ton in IPL. In the process, he also claimed the second-fastest IPL century, reaching the milestone in just 35 deliveries against the Gujarat Titans.
He culminated his maiden season with 252 runs in seven matches at a blistering strike rate of over 200 and earned the Best Strike Rate of the Season award.
Post IPL too, the young prodigy continued to impress during the recent India U19 tour of England last month, scoring a century and delivering strong performances in both one-day and four-day formats.
Given his tremendous potential and form, Srikkanth issued a caution to the selectors to ‘not make him wait’ and bring him in for the upcoming continental tournament.
Speaking in a video on his Youtube channel, Srikkanth said, “You have to play bold. Don’t make him wait. Don’t say things like ‘let him mature’. He is already playing with remarkable maturity. His shot-making has been on another level. If I were chairman, I would definitely have him in the squad.”
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Rationally speaking, it would be extremely difficult for India to fit Vaibhav Suryavanshi in the squad as of now. Suryavanshi is an opener and currently the Indian selectors face a problem of plenty at the top of the order. India already have Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma as incumbent openers. However, Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal are also in the fray, given their impressive show in the IPL 2025.
Jaiswal was part of the India squad during the T20 World Cup 2024 as a backup opener but didn’t get a chance to play. Interestingly, both Gill and Jaiswal last played a T20I for India during the Sri Lanka tour last year but it is understood that the left-hander currently has the edge for a spot.
