Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s parents to accompany 15-year-old for UK tour:BCCI’s stunning gesture, Suryakumar Yadav tells Shreyas Iyer, ‘I am watching you closely’

India’s T20I squads for the upcoming tours of Ireland and England were announced on Saturday, with 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi earning his maiden call-up. The Rajasthan Royals star could become the youngest debutant to play for India, surpassing the legendary Sachin Tendulkar’s record. However, Vaibhav won’t be travelling to the United Kingdom alone, as the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) have decided that they will bear the cost of his parents travelling with the prodigy on foreign tours. BCCI president Devajit Saikia has confirmed that Sooryavanshi’s father will be travelling to Sri Lanka, wherein his child will represent the India A side. It’s a special provision the board has taken to help the 15-year-old acclimatise to conditions on foreign tours, and the move also aims to give Vaibhav some comfort. Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav has congratulated Shreyas Iyer on becoming the new T20I captain, while pulling his fellow Mumbaikar’s leg, saying that he is ‘watching closely’. The day Surya was dropped from the Indian team, he played for Triumphs Knights MNE, scoring 48 runs against Iyer’s SoBo Mumbai Falcons. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s parents to accompany 15-year-old to UK Speaking to Hindustan Times, BCCI president Devajit Saikia stated that Vaibhav is ‘still a child’ and therefore the board has decided that his father Sanjeev will travel with his ward, who has already reached Sri Lanka with the rest of the India A side. Saikia also highlighted that it’s a special provision being made only for Sooryavanshi because he’s still very young and amid all the senior adults of the Indian team, he should be feeling comfortable in the company of his parents on a long UK tour. The 15-year-old had a stunning IPL 2026 season wherein he scored 776 runs in 16 matches at a staggering strike rate of 237.31. He shattered Sachin Tendulkar’s 36-year-old record by earning a place in India’s squad and is in line to surpass Sachin to become the youngest India debutant. ‘Watching you closely,’ Suryakumar Yadav pulls Shreyas Iyer’s leg After the squad announcement for the Ireland and England series and the upcoming Asian Games was made and Iyer was chosen as the successor to Surya, he wished Iyer good luck. The T20 World Cup-winning skipper also uploaded a picture of the two of them together, with a cheeky caption. “Very happy that a Mumbaikar is going to lead in T20I. Wishing you all the luck. Boys are super amazing. They will definitely respond well to your ideas. Be yourself, I am watching you closely,” wrote Surya on Instagram. Following his poor form for the past year and a half, Surya not only lost the T20I captaincy but also his place in the shortest format. Iyer meanwhile, returns after a gap of 30 months, and his first assignment will be a two-match series against Ireland, followed by five T20Is against England, and then he will lead the team in the shortest format during the Asian Games in Japan.