NEW DELHI: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s wait for an India debut continued during the two-match T20I series against Ireland, where India suffered a surprise 2-0 whitewash under new captain Shreyas Iyer.The teenage batting sensation was widely expected to get his first international cap, with fans and experts repeatedly calling for his inclusion. However, India stuck with their established opening combination, leaving Sooryavanshi on the bench throughout the series. Now, with a five-match T20I series against England beginning in Durham on Wednesday, the spotlight is once again on whether the youngster will finally get his chance.
Top-order struggles increase selection debate
India’s batting struggled on challenging Irish pitches, and the top order failed to deliver consistently during the series. Those performances have intensified calls for Sooryavanshi’s inclusion against England.The 15-year-old earned his maiden India call-up after a sensational IPL 2026 campaign, where he scored 776 runs at an incredible strike rate of 237.30 and was named Player of the Tournament.Despite those numbers, he remained an unused member of the squad in Ireland.
‘He’s absolutely ready’: Ryan ten Doeschate
India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate believes Sooryavanshi is ready for international cricket but insisted the youngster will have to wait for his opportunity.“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 leave Sanju Samson out. A guy who went a long way to winning India the World Cup three months ago. A guy who’s had a fairly good IPL.”He stressed the importance of backing players instead of making quick changes.“It’s important in terms of giving players confidence, and the message we’re sending to players. We want to give guys a long run in the team. So, as ready as Vaibhav is and as excited as we are and you 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 certainly no questions about how good he is and how ready he is.”Ten Doeschate admitted India could have adapted better to the conditions in Ireland but refused to blame the schedule or limited practice time.“I think training more does give you a better chance to adapt. I think you also really need to tread carefully in terms of freshness and giving guys time off and making sure that they’re mentally fresh for series as well. In hindsight, I wouldn’t have done things differently.”He added that the team had limited training opportunities but said that was no excuse.“We got here on Thursday and, again, we know how hard the Irish are trying to put on good facilities. The training facilities weren’t ideal, so we had a little hit there but of course you’d rather have three or four hits like you would for a normal tour.”“Again, no excuse. If we’re really critical of ourselves, it’s the desire to want to adapt and to play differently when you are presented with a different challenge. We put our hands up, and say that’s something we need to get better at a lot quicker.”
Will England series bring his chance?
India now head into 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.
