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By:

Waleed Hussain

4 March 2025 at 2:34:30 pm

How Long Will the Selectors Wait Before They Give Vaibhav Sooryavanshi the India Cap?

In the grand theatre of Indian cricket selection, where committees move with the urgency of a sloth on sleeping pills, we have a genuine phenomenon on our hands: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Fifteen years old. Yes, fifteen. The boy is still closer in age to a school science project than to a driving license, yet he bats like he’s got a personal grudge against bowlers and gravity itself. But fear not, dear cricket fans. Our wise selectors are on the case. They’re thinking. They’re deliberating....

How Long Will the Selectors Wait Before They Give Vaibhav Sooryavanshi the India Cap?

In the grand theatre of Indian cricket selection, where committees move with the urgency of a sloth on sleeping pills, we have a genuine phenomenon on our hands: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Fifteen years old. Yes, fifteen. The boy is still closer in age to a school science project than to a driving license, yet he bats like he’s got a personal grudge against bowlers and gravity itself. But fear not, dear cricket fans. Our wise selectors are on the case. They’re thinking. They’re deliberating. They’re probably waiting for him to complete his tenth standard exams first. Let’s recap the rap sheet of this pint-sized destroyer, because it reads like a satirical fever dream. At 13, he became the youngest player to bag an IPL contract. At 14, the youngest debutant in IPL history. Still 14, the youngest centurion in men’s T20 cricket—101 off 38 balls, a knock so violent it made seasoned pros check if their insurance covered emotional trauma. In IPL 2026, he’s been dropping bombs: 776 runs in 16 matches, a strike rate flirting with 237, one century, five fifties, and a record 72 sixes that made Chris Gayle file a police complaint for identity theft. He guided India to U19 World Cup glory earlier this year with a Player of the Tournament award and a 175 off 80 in the final. The kid treats Jasprit Bumrah like a net bowler and Pat Cummins like a friendly neighborhood spinner. And yet, here we are, in May 2026, still asking the profound philosophical question: When will this child get an India cap? Oh, the selectors must be busy. Perhaps they’re conducting a thorough background check to ensure he’s not actually a time-traveling 28-year-old in disguise. Or maybe they’re waiting for him to fill out a bit more, gain those crucial “senior player muscles” that apparently develop only after repeated domestic grind and several disappointing tours of England in April rain. Because nothing says “ready for international cricket” like surviving three rainy days in Manchester while scoring 12 not out. The humor here is darker than a Delhi power cut. We live in an era where T20 cricket has the shelf life of a tweet, yet we treat prodigies like fine wine that needs decades in the cellar. “Let him play more India A matches,” they’ll say, as if the boy hasn’t already embarrassed international bowlers in the IPL. Imagine the conversation in the selection meeting: “Gentlemen, Sooryavanshi just hit 97 off 29 balls with 12 sixes.” “Impressive. Has he played enough Ranji Trophy though?” “He debuted in Ranji at 12!” “Still… let’s give him time to mature.” Mature? The kid is 15. At this rate, by the time they pick him, he’ll be 18, married, with two kids, and wondering why his prime was spent smashing domestic bowlers while the national team kept losing middle overs. Sarcasm aside (well, not really), this cautious approach is comedy gold in a sport that celebrates audacity. Indian cricket has a proud history of fast-tracking talent when it suits—remember Yuvraj, Kohli, or even the occasional punt on raw pace. But with Sooryavanshi, it feels like the selectors are auditioning for a role in a particularly slow episode of The Office. “Yes, he’s destroying attacks, but what about his ability to play the forward defensive in a Test match that no one will watch?” Never mind that the boy’s technique looks cleaner than most seniors, and his fearlessness is pure. Legends are already banging the drum. Kumar Sangakkara has backed him for a call-up. Virat Kohli gifted him a signed cap (the closest thing to official recognition so far). Sehwag, Gavaskar, even Rabada from the opposition camp—everyone sees it. The boy isn’t just talented; he’s a generational storm. Yet the BCCI selection machinery operates on “process.” Process, in this context, apparently means watching him dominate for another two seasons while muttering about “long-term planning.” Picture the alternate universe where they actually pick him now for the upcoming T20Is. Opposition captains would call for a timeout just to process the horror. Bowlers would develop sudden finger injuries. Commentators would run out of superlatives and start speaking in tongues. “And Sooryavanshi has dispatched that to the orbit… again.” Sponsors would print jerseys in children’s sizes. The meme economy would boom. Instead, we’ll likely get the measured, responsible approach. He’ll tour Sri Lanka with India A, score 800 runs at 250 strike rate, and then someone will say, “Let’s see how he handles pressure in Ireland.” Ireland! Because nothing tests a prodigy like a friendly against associate nations. Look, I get it. Hype can destroy young players. Injuries, form dips, the suffocating weight of expectation in India—it’s a minefield. But when the minefield is being cleared by the player himself with sixes that travel faster than most cars on Mumbai roads, perhaps it’s time to trust the evidence. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi isn’t asking for special treatment. He’s just out there doing what prodigies do: making the impossible routine. At 15, he’s already rewritten records books that veterans spent careers chasing. The selectors waiting game isn’t caution anymore—it’s comedy. Expensive, frustrating comedy. So here’s my humble plea, wrapped in sarcasm: Dear selectors, the boy has done everything except perhaps file his income tax return (which, at his age, is probably handled by his parents anyway). Give him the cap before he needs to shave regularly. Before he starts giving fatherly advice to Rohit Sharma. Before the rest of the world starts wondering if India is run by a selection panel or a group of particularly anxious accountants. Because if you wait much longer, we won’t be celebrating a new Indian star. We’ll be explaining to future generations why we kept the most exciting talent on the bench while he was busy conquering the planet. And that, my friends, would be the real joke. (The write is a senior journalist based in Mumbai.)

Discussions on among allies for govt formation: Ajit Pawar

Updated: Nov 29, 2024

Ajit Pawar

Mumbai: Deputy Chief Minister and NCP head Ajit Pawar on Monday said discussions were underway among the Mahayuti partners to finalise a formula for the new government formation in the state.


Speaking to reporters at Karad in Satara district, Pawar also acknowledged the contribution of the government's Ladki Bahin scheme, which provides financial assistance to women, in the Mahayuti's victory in the just-concluded state assembly polls.


The NCP leader also assured that the alliance was working cohesively following its resounding victory in the state assembly elections.


Pawar paid tributes to Maharashtra's first chief minister Yashwantrao Chavan at his memorial in Karad on his death anniversary.


In the state poll results declared on Saturday, the Mahayuti, which comprises the BJP, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP, bagged an impressive 230 of the 288 assembly seats.


The focus has been on BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is being seen as a strong contender to occupy the top post for the third time, as his party bagged 132 of the 149 seats it contested in the state.


Notably, Maharashtra minister and Shiv Sena leader Deepak Kesarkar has said his party legislators feel Eknath Shinde should continue as the chief minister of the state, where the ruling Mahayuti scored a landslide victory in the assembly polls.


Ajit Pawar said, "We will decide what formula to work out on the cabinet formation among the three parties."


Reflecting on the elections, he acknowledged the contribution of the Ladki Bahin scheme in the Mahayuti's win.


"We cannot ignore that Ladki Bahin helped us in this election. We are grateful to them (women voters)," he said.


Defending the scheme, Pawar, who is also the state finance minister, further said, "Had I been opposed to the Ladki Bahin scheme, I would not have presented it in the House. I discussed the scheme with several retired finance officers before finalising it."


Pawar also dismissed concerns raised by some opposition leaders over the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), pointing out that polls in states like Punjab, West Bengal and Telangana, governed by their political opponents, have been conducted with the same system.


Commenting on members of same families contesting against each other during the elections, Pawar expressed annoyance over repeated questions on it.


He then asked, "Why was my close nephew fielded? Atram's own daughter was fielded against him, and even Rajendra Shingne faced a similar challenge. I don't want to comment further on this. I have got tired of apologising for fielding my wife against Supriya. Yugendra was in business, then why was he prepared to contest against me?"


In the Baramati assembly seat, Ajit Pawar was pitted against his nephew and NCP (SP) candidate Yugendra Pawar.


In Aheri seat, NCP leader Dharamraobaba Atram's daughter Bhagyashree Atram contested against him on NCP (SP) ticket.

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