Former India cricketer and national selector Devang Gandhi has made a strong case for awarding 15-year-old left-handed opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi an India T20I cap, saying the teenager has met every benchmark and could one day make Test match bowlers 'have heart attacks.' Gandhi shared his assessment in an exclusive conversation on Friday, 5 June.

Why Gandhi believes the cap is deserved

Sooryavanshi was the Player of the Tournament as India lifted the 2026 U19 Men's Cricket World Cup, and he followed that up with a stunning IPL 2026 campaign for Rajasthan Royals, amassing 776 runs at a staggering strike rate of 237.30. Gandhi pointed to the teenager's ability to shift gears under pressure as the most compelling evidence of his readiness.

'A boy who is so mature that he can even take singles, play the situation, yet maintain a strike rate of 200-plus. For me, he has ticked all the boxes,' Gandhi said. He specifically highlighted Sooryavanshi's 27-ball 94 in one innings and a composed 96 in the Qualifier 2 — the latter played with wickets tumbling at the other end — as proof of match-awareness beyond his years.

The T20I selection case

If selected, Sooryavanshi is poised to become the youngest cricketer in an India men's squad since Sachin Tendulkar's debut in 1989. Gandhi argued that rewarding consistent performance is the only logical path. 'The way he's performed in the last two years — he's hitting all the top bowlers of the world. In the first year, a lot of people said that was the first year. But look at the way he's hitting,' Gandhi noted. 'He is taking all the bowlers to the cleaners, whether it is spinners, fast bowlers, and the authority with which he is batting is really pleasing.'

Roadmap: India A, red-ball, and fielding

Gandhi stressed that Sooryavanshi's long-term development must be managed carefully. The 15-year-old is next scheduled to represent India A in a 50-over tri-series against Afghanistan A and hosts Sri Lanka A from 9 to 21 June in Dambulla. Gandhi said exposure to the 50-over and red-ball formats through the India A set-up is essential, while also flagging fielding as an area for improvement. 'We haven't seen him field a lot during IPLs,' he observed.

Gandhi also allowed himself to imagine what Sooryavanshi could achieve in Test cricket. 'Can you imagine him playing Test matches with the same authority? Not exactly like that. But even half of it, it'll be such a delight,' he said. 'It will be the bowlers who will be having heart attacks. He is simply mind-boggling.'

Rajat Patidar also in the frame

Rajat Patidar, who captained Royal Challengers Bengaluru to back-to-back IPL titles and contributed significantly with the bat, is another player Gandhi believes the selectors will reward. However, with Shreyas Iyer also in strong form, how both can be accommodated in the playing XI remains an open question.

'I think selectors will definitely reward him with a place in the squad. I don't know whether he'll feature in the playing XI or not, but on the basis of his performance, he definitely deserves a spot,' Gandhi said. How the selection panel navigates this selection headache will be closely watched when the next India squad is announced.