NEW DELHI: The excitement surrounding 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s India debut continues to build ahead of the second and final T20I against Ireland.Fans had hoped the teenage batting sensation would make his international debut in the series opener in Belfast. However, the youngster had to wait as India remained with an experienced batting line-up.The big question now is whether Sooryavanshi will get his chance in Sunday’s second T20I or fans will have to wait until the five-match T20I series against England, which starts on July 1.
India wants to recover
India head into the second T20I after suffering one of the biggest upsets in their T20 history.The reigning T20 World Cup winners were bowled out for 148 while chasing 183 as Ireland registered their first international win over India.It was also a disappointing start Shreyas Iyerwho returned to T20Is after 963 days and captained India for the first time in the format.With the England series around the corner, Iyer will be eager to level the series before the team leaves for England.
Iyer on the debut of Sooryavanshi
At the toss before the first T20I, Iyer confirmed that Sooryavanshi will have to wait for his chance.“He is a striker but we have a group of players who have been in great form iw He is a striker but we have some great players who have been good for us so we are backing them. They will get their chance when the time comes,” Iyer said.
Kotak supports experienced players
A day before the first T20I, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak also hinted that India are unlikely to give the teenager an immediate debut.“Vaibhav is very talented, no doubt. And the way he batted in the IPL and all the other games, needless to say he has a lot of natural ability. Because in the IPL he faced Jofro, a lot of fast bowlers, a lot of experienced bowlers. And nothing seems to bother him. “So he’s obviously an extraordinary talent,” he said.Kotak also explained why the team’s management wanted to continue to support the players who have already performed.“That’s also not going to be right. I think there’s a very fine line between trying to give someone a chance and being unfair to another player,” Kotak said.“Tonight the captain and the head coach will decide the squad. And if he plays well, if he doesn’t for me, that’s great because he’s part of the Indian team. And I’m sure he’ll get his due and his opportunities. So I don’t think that just to give him a chance, we should drop someone who’s already scored.”Whether Sooryavanshi will make his long-awaited debut on Sunday remains to be seen, but both Iyer and Kotak have made it clear that the teenager remains a key part of India’s plans and that his opportunity will come at the right time.
