Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been left out of India’s playing XI for the first Afghanistan T20IRead the full story to know why he missed out.
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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi left out of India’s playing xi for the first T20I against Afghanistan(Photo: IANS)
Young batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been left out of India’s playing XI for the first T20 International against AfghanistanThe match is being played on Sunday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
Sanju Samson has returned to the side and will open the innings alongside Abhishek SharmaCaptain Shreyas Iyer confirmed at the toss that there is no injury concern for the 15-year-old and that the decision is purely tactical.
Shreyas Iyer confirms Sooryavanshi’s omission
Iyer made the team combination clear during the toss before the opening game of the three-match series.
“Vaibhav is not playing, Washington is not playing, and two more,” Shreyas said at the toss.
The decision means India have opted for a more experienced combination at the top of the order for the first matchSooryavanshi, however, remains part of the squad and could feature in the next two games.
Sooryavanshi had limited time to prepare
Sooryavanshi had only two days to train with the team after featuring in the Duleep Trophy finalDuring his first net session in Delhi, the youngster also faced Jasprit Bumrah in the nets.
At the same time, Samson and Abhishek spent considerable time batting together during practiceThe duo looked well prepared to start the innings for India against Afghanistan.
Samson and Sooryavanshi have been competing for a place at the top of India’s batting order alongside AbhishekSamson started India’s recent tour of Ireland and England but struggled to make a big impact in the opening matches.
Sooryavanshi was then handed his international debut in EnglandHe featured in three matches but could not register a big scoreSamson returned to the XI for the final game of the series.
India look for a settled combination
Samson was later left out of the Zimbabwe series but continued to remain part of India’s Asian Games squadSooryavanshi, meanwhile, impressed in the Duleep Trophy, scoring 192 runs in three matches.
With the Asian Games approaching, the Indian team management appears keen to give the squad a settled lookFor the opening T20I against Afghanistan, that has meant going with the more experienced Samson at the top alongside Abhishek.
India’s playing XI for First T20I
Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Nitish Reddy, Shivam Dube, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh.
Sooryavanshi remains available for the series and could get an opportunity in either of the remaining two matchesFor now, India have started the series with Samson and Abhishek as their opening pair.
