NEW DELHI: Fans at the Civil Service Cricket Club in Belfast turned up hoping to witness 15-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi make his India debut against Ireland in the first T20I on Friday.Instead, they saw teenagers carrying drinks along the border ropes.Every time Sooryavanshi walked onto the field with a drink, loud cheers echoed around the field as the spectators showed their support for the youngster, whose senior debut in India has been eagerly awaited since his explosive IPL performances.
The wait for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s debut continues
The excitement started even before the match when the new captain of India came Shreyas Iyer arrived at the throw. After naming the playing XI, Iyer was immediately asked if Sooryavanshi would make his international debut.The answer was no.“Unfortunately, not (Sooryavanshi’s debut). He is a good player but we have some great players who have been good for us so we are backing them. He will get his chance when the time comes,” Iyer said.India retained the core of the side that won the T20 World Cup earlier this year and Sooryavanshi was forced to bide his time.
A History of the Irish Script
While the pre-match focus was on whether Sooryavanshi would play, the headlines ended up going to Ireland.The hosts surprised the reigning T20 World Cup champions with a 34-run win, their first win over India in any format.Ireland recovered from 51/4 to post 182/9 before bowling out India for 148 in 18.5 overs to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
Shreyas Iyer promises a strong response
After suffering defeat in his first match as India’s T20I captain, Iyer admitted that the team has a lot to improve on.“We will not forget what happened and we can learn a lot from this game. In the next game, he will show all his strength.”
Irish debutants impress
Jai Moondra, the Indian-born left-armer, enjoyed a memorable debut, dismissing Sanju Samson with his first ball before finishing with 2/25.Matt Hollard also starred on debut, claiming three wickets, including those of Ishan Kishan and Iyer. Left-arm spinner Matthew Humphreys claimed three wickets as Ireland’s disciplined attack did not allow India to recover after Abhishek Sharmaexplosive 50 off 20 balls.The two teams will meet again in the second and final T20I on Sunday, when Sooryavanshi could once again be in contention for his long-awaited India debut.
