England all-rounder Sam Curran has hailed 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's rapid rise to the Indian team as an "incredible story", while expressing hope that England can keep the teenage batting sensation quiet if he makes his international debut during the ongoing five-match T20I series.
Sooryavanshi earned a place in India's squad for the tour of the United Kingdom after an extraordinary IPL 2026 campaign with Rajasthan Royals, and cricket fans have been eagerly awaiting his first appearance in international cricket.
Speaking to the media on the eve of the second T20I, Curran said he had closely followed the youngster's exploits during the IPL.
"I guess it's an incredible story. I watched a lot of the IPL for a month, and I was just watching this guy, he looks so easy. It's truly incredible and it's rightly so, getting the attention he deserves," Curran said.
"He’s so raw and he's just having the time of his life, isn't he? Playing for India at 15 years old is such a cool story and I think even as opposition, you've got to admire the skill and things like that," he added.
Curran, however, believes English conditions could present a fresh test for the teenage opener.
"I think England will probably be a different challenge, the pitches are very different, a lot slower than in India. Guys can have their plans and all this kind of thing," he said.
His remarks come after Sooryavanshi enjoyed a sensational IPL season, finishing as the tournament's leading run-scorer with 776 runs at a strike rate of more than 230.
"So I guess, we will have our plans, of course, but I'm not saying they're the right plans, you never know because he's playing really well.
"But at the end of the day, I'll try and execute my skills, but there's no doubt that he's pretty special for what he's doing," he said.
Curran also said handling the immense attention that comes with representing India could prove to be Sooryavanshi's toughest challenge.
"I think being an Indian cricketer in India is probably much bigger than we are. So I think that'll probably be his biggest challenge, how he handles that. He has played one or two IPL seasons and is straight into the Indian squad now. I'm sure he's got people around him trying to help him. But I guess you never know until he's given his debut and see how he goes.
"I'm sure he's going to have ups and downs like anybody else, but as a cricket player, you've got to enjoy what he's doing because it is pretty cool. At 15 years old, I think I was just knocking in the Surrey indoor school."
Despite hoping England's plans work against the young batter, Curran said he wants to see Sooryavanshi fulfil his immense potential.
"So it is pretty cool, but, hopefully, he can just keep his head down. I'll just love watching him, and hopefully it's not against my bowling.
"But it's just pretty cool and hopefully for India's sake he can keep doing really well, but hopefully against us it doesn't happen as good," he added.
