Eyes are set on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as India take on Ireland and England for separate white-ball series during the UK tour. Sooryavanshi has been named in squads for both the Ireland and England T20Is as fans wait in anticipation for his record debut.
The 15-year-old has set the stage alight in the Indian Premier League 2026 and for the non-senior India sides during his glittering start to his career. He has become the talk of the town, and if he makes his debut during the Ireland or England T20Is, he will break Sachin Tendulkar’s record for the youngest Indian male debutant in international cricket.
Sooryavanshi to use separate dressing room
Meanwhile, Sooryavanshi will be using a separate dressing room during the England T20Is, a report in Cricinfo stated. Sooryavanshi will be allowed to enter India’s dressing room during matches and for team talks but will have to stay in a separate one when the team travels to the five venues across England for the five games that will be played between July 1 to 11.
This is in accordance with the ICC and ECB safeguarding regulations for players who are aged below 16. It is, however, not clear whether the same rules will apply for the two-match series against Ireland or not.ย
“This is an ICC event, with their safeguarding procedures active as they have jurisdiction,” the ECB was quoted as saying by the Guardian. “A safeguarding concern occurring during the event may be managed by the ICC. In addition to this, the ECB Safe Hands policy applies at all times.
“The Cricket Regulator is in contact with the Team Liaison Officer (TLO) for the Indian team to discuss requirements and expectations for the player while he is in the UK. Each County Safeguarding Officer for the relevant cricket venue is also working closely with the Team Liaison Officer to ensure venue protocols and arrangements are understood and adhered to. This is conducted via safeguarding risk assessments.
Sooryavanshi’s parents to stay in same hotel
Sooryavanshi will be accompanied by his parents to the tour and they will be staying with him at the team hotel, a special permission granted due to his age. “It is our understanding that the player’s parents will be travelling with him at all times. They are staying in the same hotel, which is outside of usual protocol, but agreed on this occasion due to his age. This additional measure provides us with further confidence that he has family members that can provide the additional level of support and care,” it added.
Earlier, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia had confirmed that his parents would be travelling with the teenage sensation for the Ireland and England tours. “Therefore, to make him comfortable and help him get used to an adult environment, where all the other players are above 18 years of age, and the team management members are also adults, we felt it would be helpful,” Saikia had said. “We are doing this because we believe it will ease a lot of issues as far as Vaibhav is concerned.”
India’s tour of UK
India have reached the UK for their white-ball tour. They will be facing Ireland in two T20Is on June 26 and 28 in Belfast. They will then head to England for five T20Is and three ODIs. The T20Is will begin on July 1 with Chester-le-Street hosting the opener, followed by contests on July 4 (Manchester), July 7 (Nottingham), July 9 (Bristol) and July 11 (Southampton).
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