NEW DELHI: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s wait for a debut for India continued during the two-match T20I series against Ireland, where India suffered a surprise 2-0 defeat under new captain Shreyas Iyer.The teenage batting sensation was expected to get his first international cap, with fans and pundits repeatedly clamoring for his inclusion. However, India stuck to their established opening combination, benching Sooryavanshi throughout the series. Now, with the five-match T20I series against England starting in Durham on Wednesday, the focus is once again on whether the youngster will finally get his chance.
Top-order fights heighten the selection debate
Indian batting struggled on the demanding Irish pitches and the top order was inconsistent throughout the series. Those performances intensified calls for Sooryavanshi’s inclusion against England.The 15-year-old earned his first India call-up after a sensational IPL 2026 campaign, where he scored 776 runs at an incredible strike rate of 237.30 and was adjudged player of the tournament.Despite these numbers, he remained an unused member of the squad in Ireland.
‘He is absolutely ready’: Ryan ten Doeschate
India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate believes Sooryavanshi is ready for international cricket but insists the youngster will have to wait for his chance.“He’s absolutely ready to play international cricket, there’s no doubt about that. But also, I don’t think it’s out of the question to say you can leave Sanju Samson out. The guy who came a long way to win the World Cup in India three months ago. The guy who had a pretty good IPL.”He emphasized the importance of supporting the players instead of quick changes.“It’s important in terms of giving confidence to the players and the message we’re sending to the players. We want to give the guys longevity in the team. So as fit as Vaibhav is and as excited as you and I are to see him play, he’s going to have to go through the same process as everyone else and, you know, bide his time and wait. But there’s certainly no question about how good he is and how fit he is.”Ten Doeschate admitted that India could have adapted better to the conditions in Ireland, but refused to blame the schedule or limited training time.“I think more training gives you a better chance to adapt. I think you also need to tread carefully in terms of freshness and giving guys time off and making sure they’re mentally fresh for the series as well. Looking back, I wouldn’t have done things differently.”He added that the team has limited training opportunities, but said that is no excuse.“We came here on Thursday and, again, we know how hard the Irish work to set up good facilities. The practice facilities weren’t ideal, so we had a bit of a hit there, but of course you’d rather have three or four shots like on a normal tour.”“Again, there’s no excuse. If we’re really critical of ourselves, it’s a desire to want to adapt and play differently when you’re faced with a different challenge. We raise our hands and say that this is something we need to get better at much faster.”
Will the England series bring his chance?
India now embark on a five-match T20I series against England, starting in Durham on July 1. If the opening pair of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma fail to make an impact, the team management could finally hand Sooryavanshi his much-awaited India debut.
