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England star Jos Buttler has praised India’s latest teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi ahead of the white-ball series between the two sides. The former England captain believes that the cricket world is about to see something special.
The 15-year-old was recently included in the Indian squad for the first time for the upcoming T20 series in Ireland later this month and the subsequent tour of England in July. If Vaibhav plays in any of these series, he will become the youngest cricketer to represent India at the international level. He has already received support for India’s Olympic T20 team
Jos Buttler backs Vaibhav Suryavanshi for historic India call-up
Following Greg Chappell’s surprising decision on Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Jos Buttler has insisted that the left-handed batsman fully deserves his place in the Indian team after his incredible performances for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2026. He also pointed out how Indian selection has become extremely competitive, with even big names missing out due to the rise of Vaibhav Suryavanshi.
Jos Buttler said on his YouTube podcast, ‘For the Love of Cricket’, “15-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi has got a well-deserved call-up into an incredibly strong India team. So strong that they have ousted their World Cup-winning captain. He was a serious, serious player.
And while his form hasn’t been the same, the next World Cup is in 2028, so he wanted a change. He picked Shreyas Iyer, who won it with KKR and then made a good impact at Punjab Kings.
He further added, “More than anything, his numbers with the bat have been fantastic. Vaibhav is already incredibly famous. He was the MVP of the tournament, scoring over 700 runs at a strike rate above 200. Any player who puts up those numbers gets picked. He thoroughly deserves his place.”
Buttler reveals Sachin Tendulkar vs Vaibhav Suryavanshi debate with Gujarat Titans coach during IPL 2026
Buttler also recalled a conversation he had with his Gujarat Titans coach Ashish Kapoor during IPL 2026, when they discussed the ‘furore’ around Vaibhav and how famous the teenage sensation had become even before he made his debut for India.
The former England captain said, “I asked him how it is compared to Sachin because he is from the same generation and grew up watching him.” To this, Kapoor explained that everyone has seen Vaibhav bat and seen what he has done in the biggest T20 tournament in the world, that is why he is already so famous, and that is the real difference, thanks to social media.
How did Sachin become a legend without online fame?
But during Sachin Tendulkar’s time there was no social media or YouTube, so people mostly read about him in newspapers or heard stories from others. And the Gujarat Titans assistant coach said that because of this, there was not much buzz around Tendulkar when he entered the field.
Buttler said, “When Sachin was coming up, people were reading about him in the newspapers. It was all whispers and stories about this extraordinary talent that you just had to see. Unless you were on the field or saw him live on television, you didn’t really see him. There were no highlight packages, no social media, and no player gets that exposure today.”
