NEW DELHI: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s wait for an India debut continued in the two-match T20I series against Ireland, where India suffered a surprise 2-0 whitewash under new captain Shreyas Iyer.The teenage batting sensation is widely expected to earn his first international cap, with fans and pundits repeatedly calling for his inclusion. However, India stuck to their established starting combination, 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.
Top-order struggles add to the selection debate
India’s batting struggled against Ireland’s challenging pitches, and the top order failed to deliver consistently in the series. Those performances fueled calls for Sooryavanshi’s inclusion against England.The 15-year-old earned his maiden call-up to India after a sensational IPL 2026 campaign, where he scored 776 runs at an incredible strike rate of 237.30 and was named the Player of the Tournament.Despite the numbers, he remains an unused member of the Ireland squad.
“He’s ready.” Ryan ten Doeschate
India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate believes Sooryavanshi is ready for international cricket but insists the youngster must wait for his chance.“He’s definitely ready to play international cricket, there’s no doubt about that. But again, I don’t think it’s a question of saying you can leave Sanju Samson.He emphasized the importance of supporting the players rather than making immediate changes.“It’s important to give confidence to the players, and the message we send to the players. We want to give the guys a long run in the team. So, as prepared as Vaibhav and as excited as we are and you see him play, he has to go through the same process as everyone else and, you know, bide his time and wait.Ten Doeschate admitted that India could have adapted better to Irish conditions but refused to blame the schedule or limited practice time.“I think more training gives you a better chance to adapt. I think you also have to be very careful in terms of innovation and giving time to the guys and making sure they are also mentally fresh for the series.He added that the team had limited training opportunities but said there was no excuse.“We arrived here on Thursday and, again, we know how hard the Irish are trying to put in good facilities. The training facilities are not good, so we had a little hit there but of course you prefer to have three or four hits as you would for a normal tour.”“Again, there is no excuse. If we are critical of ourselves, it is the desire to want to adapt and play differently when you are presented with a different challenge. We put our hands up, and said that’s something we need to be more flexible about. “
Will the 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 will finally give Sooryavanshi his long-awaited Indian debut.