There has been a lot of buzz surrounding Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s inclusion in India’s T20I squad, with many expecting the teenage sensation to make his international debut in the first match of the series against Ireland. However, the team management decided to stick with their established World Cup-winning first pair Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharmaleaving Sooryavanshi on the bench.Former India spinner Ravi Ashwin supported the decision, urging fans to be patient with the youngster’s development instead of rushing him into the playing XI. According to Ashwin, there is immense value in learning from the sidelines before stepping onto the international stage.India, meanwhile, had a disappointing start to the series under the new captain Shreyas Iyerlosing to Ireland for the first time in T20I history. It was also India’s first T20I since lifting the T20 World Cup. As the Men in Blue look to bounce back in the second T20I, Ashwin shared his thoughts on why Sooryavanshi should continue biding his time.Ravi Ashwin said on his YouTube channel Ash Ki Baat:“Please all think of the game with some wisdom. Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma opened together and Sanju batted very well in the World Cup. If you bench one of them to play with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, what is the point of calling this a team game?”“I know we all want to see Vaibhav Sooryavanshi play. We are all fans and he is a great entertainer. But not at any cost. It is also worth sitting out and watching the game. Let him serve the team, help, even fetch water. One can learn a lot from that experience. A great player does not become that overnight. When Vaibhav starts playing, he may never drop it, it could happen, just like what happened with Sachin Tendulkar. But if he spends some time outside the playing XI first, he will gain empathy and a better understanding of the team environment. He has a long and brilliant career ahead of him. Sitting out is also a role,” Ashwin added.
Ireland beat T20 world champions India by 34 runs
Ireland made history with their first win over India in T20I cricket, defeating the reigning T20 World Cup champions by 34 runs in the opening T20I in Belfast.Asked to bat first, Ireland recovered from 36/3 thanks to a half-century from captain Lorcan Tucker and an explosive 49 from Gareth Delany to post a competitive 182/9. Harshit Rana was India’s top bowler with 3/24, while Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel claimed two wickets each.In reply, India raced to a flying start when Abhishek Sharma smashed a 20-ball 50, but the visitors suffered a dramatic drop in batting following his dismissal. Matt Hollard (3/28) and Matthew Humphreys (3 wickets) played with the ball as India were bowled out for 148 in 18.5 overs. Irish debutant Jai Moondra also made an immediate impact by dismissing Sanju Samson with his first ball in international cricket.
