The cricketing fraternity is completely convinced that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is ready to play for India in the shortest format following his blitzkrieg in the Eliminator but would the 15-year-old sensation able to replicate his phenomenal IPL success in international cricket?
The squad for the Ireland and England T20 series will be announced in the first week of June and Sooryavanshi's name is likely to be there despite no genuine spot available in the World Cup winning unit.
In his debut IPL season last year, Sooryavanshi became the youngest centurion in IPL history and in his first full season, he has enhanced his reputation by several notches with his fearless bashing of world class operations likes Jasprit Bumrah, Kagiso Rabada and more recently Pat Cummins.
Despite going for a six every ball in his 29-ball 97, it did not seem that Sooryavanshi was batting with a high risk approach. All of his 12 sixes were cricketing shots and not wild slogs.
Cummins and Co tried to target him full into the pads but he was quick enough make the split second adjustment and smashed them down the ground.
Unlike the likes of Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head, he doesn't back away from the stumps a lot to make room. He prefers to stay back in the crease and stay still to hit even good length balls out of the park. Majority of his record 65 sixes (till Eliminator stage) have come from length balls.
He has got the blessings from the likes of Sunil Gavaskar to excel at the highest level and probably he will. But questions will remain over him carrying his staggering form to international unless they are answered by the teenager himself.
Former India wicket keeper Deep Dasgupta, who saw his special effort on Wednesday night from the commentary box, believes Sooryavanshi is as ready for an India cap as he can be.
"He is the real deal. Look how he has batted against top bowlers like Rabada, Bumrah, Starc. I have had a few interactions with him. He loves batting. Sooner or later, he would play for India. You will need to make room for him even if there is no spot available," Dasgupta told PTI.
"Technique wise, I don't see an issue. I know international cricket is one level up from IPL but the league too has best bowlers in action.
"Red ball cricket is still a long way as he is yet to prove himself there but T20s he is ready. Also, we don't know about his fielding. Mentally he has not dealt with failure yet. We are still in awe that he is 15 and won't be a teenager forever."
Dasgupta would rather ease Sooryavanshi into the India debut by picking him in the squad and then playing him at the opportune time.
"He is also a thinking cricketer. Both Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma have done nothing wrong. There is no place for him if you look at it in a matter of fact way.
"I would take him in the squad and ease him into the team. We have a duty of care as far he is concerned," added Dasgupta.
A source in the BCCI also concurred with Dasgupta's view and said technique too he is ready for the next step.
"IPL is high level cricket and technique in T20s is drastically different from red ball. In the shortest format, you play away from your body and hand back with a side on stance and try to hit every ball out of the park.
"He is expected to be fast tracked into the national in the T20s but red ball we need to see how he does in first-class cricket. I would want to see him excel as a Test cricketer too," the source added.
The Ireland series will precede the England one. It would be a surprise to many if Sooryavanshi doesn't take the field in the series opener against Ireland on June 26.