'With his performances, he has forced us to pick him' - Agarkar on Sooryavanshi

As expected, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the current toast of the nation, was selected in the Indian squad for the tours of Ireland and England, as well as the Asian Games between July and September. Ajit Agarkar, however, revealed that handing the teenager his maiden India cap was not a difficult call. Sooryavanshi, Agarkar said, had picked himself.

"With his performances, he has almost forced us to pick him, with how well he has played. For a young kid, I don't need to talk about how well he is playing. And it's not just this season. He obviously had a great start last season," chief selector said while announcing the India squad on Saturday.

"And to back it up for a young kid in a competition that's as competitive and has a high-pressure environment, and how explosive he can be and a game-changer that he can be... Like everyone else that has watched T20 cricket in India, we have got high hopes of him. I think he just has picked himself."

Playing only his second IPL season, Sooryavanshi won the Orange Cap by amassing 776 runs at a staggering strike rate of over 230. The selectors also took note of the fact that it was largely his exploits that helped Rajasthan Royals make the playoffs. "We've seen what he can do. You saw, even towards the playoffs, he almost single-handedly carried Rajasthan Royals. For a young kid, I don't need to talk about how well he's batting or how well he's playing."

The selectors also have fresh in their memory his swashbuckling 175 in the Under-19 World Cup final in South Africa, where India lifted the trophy. "We know what he was doing at the Under-19 level, and that's probably perhaps a step down to what the IPL is or slightly lower (than) senior cricket is. But we can all see what kind of talent he has. We're hopeful that if and when he gets an opportunity to actually play for the country, he shows us the same sort of ability that he's shown."

Agarkar, however, clarified that his committee is not in a hurry to fast-track him into red ball cricket. "I just explained it - his performances have made us pick him in the format in which he has excelled over the last couple of IPL seasons. With regard to red-ball cricket, I mean, he's a kid. Let him be. He's just starting his journey. I'm sure when the domestic season starts and he plays for his team, and plays a little bit of red-ball cricket, we'll wait and observe. At this point, why jump the gun? I think we're very excited about what he's doing in T20 cricket.

"And hopefully, us as selectors, along with the BCCI and the coaching staff, can help guide him in the right direction. So, at this point, we're just focused on what he can bring to the T20 team, and we'll take it one step at a time."

Sooryavanshi is currently in Sri Lanka for a tri-series involving India A, Sri Lanka A and Afghanistan A. After that, he will fly to Ireland for two T20Is and then travel to England with the Indian team for a five-match T20I series before leaving for the Nagoya (Japan) Asian Games.

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