‘Trying our best to make him feel…’ – Abhishek Sharma opens up on how Indian team is taking care of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

Young batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi may still be waiting for his international debut, but the 15-year-old has already made a strong impression inside the Indian dressing room during the ongoing T20I series against Ireland.

The teenage prodigy has emerged as one of the brightest talents in Indian cricket after an extraordinary rise over the past few months. Sooryavanshi enjoyed a dream IPL 2026 campaign with Rajasthan Royals, amassing 776 runs while taking apart some of the world’s best bowlers with a fearless brand of cricket.

He carried the same form into the India A tri-series in Sri Lanka, producing one of the most explosive knocks in List A cricket during the final against Sri Lanka A. The left-hander smashed 94 runs off just 29 deliveries and raced to a half-century in only 11 balls, registering the fastest fifty in List A history.

Despite not featuring in the first T20I, Sooryavanshi has quickly settled into the Indian camp. Opener Abhishek Sharma revealed that the senior players have been making a conscious effort to help the youngster feel at home, while also praising his eagerness to learn.

“As a team, I think it’s our responsibility to make him comfortable. And obviously he is a young guy and what I felt, he is very curious to play all the time. He is just learning right now. He asks questions, so I feel he has that in himself, where he wants to learn a lot of things, and obviously it’s a dream for him too. So we are trying our best to make him feel that he belongs in the group,” Abhishek told reporters after the first T20I.

India’s decision to stick with their experienced opening pair, however, did not produce the desired outcome. Chasing 183 at Stormont, the visitors were bowled out for 148 with seven balls to spare as Ireland scripted a memorable 34-run victory over the Men in Blue.

Abhishek was the lone bright spot in India’s batting effort, smashing a whirlwind half-century off just 20 balls. Apart from him, Shivam Dube’s 25 was the only notable contribution, with the rest of the batting lineup struggling against Ireland’s disciplined bowling attack.