Former England captain Michael Vaughan expressed his surprise after India left teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi out of the playing XI for the opening T20I against Ireland despite the youngster’s impressive rise in recent months.For Sooryavanshi, who recently got his first call-up for India, many thought he would make his international debut in Belfast. However, India opted to retain an experienced opening combination Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharmameaning the 15-year-old had to wait for his chance.Soon after India fielded the XI and before the match started, Vaughan took to social media to question the decision.“Can’t believe India didn’t pick Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.. best T20 player in the world right now,” Vaughan tweeted.Captain of India Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to field first, with Harshit Rana leading an impressive bowling effort. The fast bowler, back after a four-month layoff, took 3/24 as India reduced Ireland to 36/3 inside the Powerplay.Despite early setbacks, Ireland bounced back through captain Lorcan Tucker, who hit 50 off 36 balls. Gareth Delany then scored 49 while George Dockrell added a quick 19 as Ireland finished on a competitive 182/9. A 27-run over off Prasidh Krishna in the death overs proved crucial in lifting the hosts to a challenging total.India’s chase never gained any real momentum. Abhishek Sharma made a scintillating 20-ball half-century, but Ireland’s disciplined attack continued to strike at regular intervals. Debutant Jai Moondra dismissed Sanja Samson early while Matt Hollard dismissed both Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer to put India on the back foot.With Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube and the lower order unable to build meaningful partnerships, India were bowled out for 148 as Ireland sealed a historic 34-run win, their first win over India in any format.While the result sparked much debate about India’s batting approach, Vaughan’s pre-match remarks on Sooryavanshi’s absence also attracted considerable attention as the teenager continued to wait for his international debut.
