Vaibhav Suryavanshi (Getty Images)
New Delhi: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s wait to make his India debut continued during the two-match T20I series against Ireland, as India suffered a 2-0 upset under new skipper Shreyas Iyer.The teenager was widely expected to earn his first cap, with fans and experts repeatedly calling for his inclusion. However, India stuck to their opening set, leaving Sooryavanshi on the bench throughout the series.
Now, with the five-match T20I series against England starting in Durham on Wednesday, the spotlight is once again on whether the youngster will finally get his chance.
Conflicts at the highest levels increase the debate over choice
Indian batting struggled on the difficult Irish pitches, and the top order failed to deliver consistently during the series. These performances have intensified calls for Sooryavanshi to be included against England.The 15-year-old earned his maiden India call-up after a sensational campaign in IPL 2026, where he scored 776 runs at an impressive strike rate of 237.30 and was named Player of the Tournament.Despite these numbers, he remained an unused member of the squad in Ireland.
“He’s all set”: Ryan Ten Deutscheat
India assistant coach Ryan Ten Deutschat believes Sooryavanshi is ready to play international cricket but insisted 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 think it’s not a question to say you can rule out Sanju Samson. A guy who came a long way to win India the World Cup three months ago. A guy who has had fairly good form in the Indian Premier League.”He stressed the importance of supporting the players instead of making quick changes.“It’s important in terms of giving the players confidence, and the message we are sending to the players. We want to give the players a long period in the team. So, as much as Vaibhav is ready and as excited as you and I are to see him play, he will have to go through the same process as everyone else and, you know, bide his time and wait. But certainly there are no questions about how good he is and how prepared 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 training more gives you a better chance of adapting. I think you really need to tread carefully in terms of recovery and giving players time off and making sure they’re mentally fresh for the series as well. In hindsight, I wouldn’t have done things differently.”He added that the team’s training opportunities are limited, but said that is no excuse.“We got here on Thursday and, again, we know how hard the Irish try to provide good facilities. The training facilities weren’t ideal so we had a little knock there but of course you’d rather have three or four hits like you would on a normal tour.”“Again, there is no excuse. If we are really critical of ourselves, it is the willingness to adapt and play differently when you are presented with a different challenge.
We raise our hands and say this is something we need to improve a lot faster.”
Will the England series bring his chance?
India now head to the five-match T20I series against England, starting in Durham on July 1. If the opening duo of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma fail to make an impact, the team management can finally give Suryavanshi his much-awaited India debut.