Newly appointed T20I captain Shreyas Iyer said that it’s not just Vaibhav Sooryavanshi who has performed well, there are many other names that have done well and rightfully deserve to break into the Indian team
Published: July 2, 2026, 9:31 PM IST
Share Article
https://www.india.com/sports/vaibhav-sooryavanshis-international-debut-pushed-back-due-to-team-india-management-opens-up-8463953/
India’s Vaibhav Sooryavanshi plays football during a warm-up session ahead of the first T20I against England at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (Photo: IANS)
One question that is lingering in the minds of all Indian cricket fans at the moment is when will India’s teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi make his senior debut for the Men in Blue? The 15-year-old has probably done everything right in terms of scoring runs and expressing himself on the big stages like the Indian Premier League and the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup but as it appears, Sooryavanshi will have to wait a bit more to earn his maiden India cap.
For a fact, receiving a senior call-up at such a young age, is a huge achievement in itself. Rubbing shoulders with the big guns of Indian cricket at 15-years of age is not something that happens everyday and that’s why Vaibhav Sooryavanshi deserves all the credit.
He is coming on the back of a sensational outing in IPL 2026 where he finished as the highest run-getter, ahead of some big names like Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan and Virat Kohli among others.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored 776 runs in 16 matches at a consistent and daunting strike rate of 237. He also broke Chris Gayle’s long standing record of most sixes in a single season by smashing a total of 72 maximums, something that has never happened before.
Yet, he is having to wait for his senior India debut. That tells us two things. One, the depth that is there in Indian cricket and two, big performances doesn’t always guarantee a spot when it comes to the international arena.
While fans are rightfully making their own assumptions as to why Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is not being given a chance, team India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has provided much needed clarity.
Also Read: 6, 6, 6, 6… Abhishek Sharma EXPLODES in first T20I vs England, breaks WORLD RECORD with…
In a recent interaction with the media, Doeschate acknowledged that Vaibhav has done everything right and that he is ready to play international cricket but not at the expense of someone who won India its 3rd T20 World Cup title, and the name is Sanju Samson.
“He (Sooryavanshi) is absolutely ready to play international cricket, there is no doubt about that, but also Sanju Samson is a guy who went a long way to win us the World Cup three months ago,” Ryan ten Doeschate said.
There is also this view that the Gautam Gambhir-led team management does not want to disrupt the team structure that they have set over the past few years. Even newly appointed T20I captain Shreyas Iyer said that it’s not just Vaibhav Sooryavanshi who has performed well, there are many other names that have done well and rightfully deserve to break into the Indian team.
“Look, all the players in the team have performed well; it’s not that only one individual has performed well. But we have to build that opportunity and security, so that each individual has confidence going forward into tournaments. The players who won the last World Cup definitely have an idea of how to play T20, and they have continuously been the main pillars of that format, so it’s very important to back them,” Shreyas Iyer said on the eve of the 1st T20I against England.
So, will we see Vaibhav Sooryavanshi getting his first big chance for India in the on-going 5-match T20I series in England? Or will he continue to warm the bench? Time will tell.
