Vaibhav Sooryavanshi should wait: India remain stubborn ahead of England T20I series
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is ready for international cricket but needs to bide his time, said India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate after the team's historic series loss against Ireland. Does this mean that Vaibhav will not play in England as well?
India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has defended the team’s decision to not hand 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi his international debut against Ireland. Called up after record-breaking performances in the Indian Premier League and for India A, Vaibhav remained on the sidelines as India slumped to a historic series defeat against Ireland.
Not picked in the playing XI for either of the two T20Is in Belfast, Vaibhav watched as India’s batting line-up struggled in both matches. Shreyas Iyer’s team failed to stamp authority on either game and ended up getting whitewashed by Ireland.
T20 World Cup 2026 Player of the Tournament Sanju Samson also endured a difficult series, returning scores of 5 and 0 respectively. For context, Vaibhav had arrived for the Ireland series on the back of a record-breaking half-century against Sri Lanka A in the tri-series final in Dambulla.
Vaibhav, who had an altercation with a few Sri Lanka players before the final, smashed an 11-ball fifty - the fastest recorded in List A history. He was also in contention to register the joint-fastest List A hundred but was dismissed for 94 off 29 balls.
WHY DID INDIA NOT DEBUT VAIBHAV SOORYAVANSHI?
However, India opted not to use the in-form batter, stating there was no hurry in handing the 15-year-old his debut. Speaking at the post-series press conference, Ryan ten Doeschate said it was difficult to leave out Sanju Samson, who had played a major role in India’s T20 World Cup 2026 triumph.
“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,” Doeschate said.
The assistant coach added that India intends to give players a longer run in the team as it begins a new cycle under Shreyas Iyer.
“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 bide his time and wait. But certainly no questions about how good he is and how ready he is,” he added.
HISTORY REPEATING?
Doeschate’s comments echoed remarks made by Suryakumar Yadav during the T20 World Cup 2026. During the tournament, the then-captain was asked why Samson remained out of the XI despite India’s opening struggles.
Suryakumar had responded by questioning which established batter should be dropped to accommodate Samson. India eventually brought Samson into the side and the wicketkeeper-batter responded with three successive impactful innings to help India win their third T20 World Cup title.
Doeschate’s remarks suggest that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi may have to wait longer for his India debut. At 15 years and three months old, Vaibhav could have become India’s youngest-ever international debutant had he featured in the Ireland series.
India travel to England next for a white-ball series comprising five T20Is and three ODIs. Vaibhav is part of the T20I squad and remains in contention to make his debut.
India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has defended the team’s decision to not hand 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi his international debut against Ireland. Called up after record-breaking performances in the Indian Premier League and for India A, Vaibhav remained on the sidelines as India slumped to a historic series defeat against Ireland.
Not picked in the playing XI for either of the two T20Is in Belfast, Vaibhav watched as India’s batting line-up struggled in both matches. Shreyas Iyer’s team failed to stamp authority on either game and ended up getting whitewashed by Ireland.
T20 World Cup 2026 Player of the Tournament Sanju Samson also endured a difficult series, returning scores of 5 and 0 respectively. For context, Vaibhav had arrived for the Ireland series on the back of a record-breaking half-century against Sri Lanka A in the tri-series final in Dambulla.
Vaibhav, who had an altercation with a few Sri Lanka players before the final, smashed an 11-ball fifty - the fastest recorded in List A history. He was also in contention to register the joint-fastest List A hundred but was dismissed for 94 off 29 balls.
WHY DID INDIA NOT DEBUT VAIBHAV SOORYAVANSHI?
However, India opted not to use the in-form batter, stating there was no hurry in handing the 15-year-old his debut. Speaking at the post-series press conference, Ryan ten Doeschate said it was difficult to leave out Sanju Samson, who had played a major role in India’s T20 World Cup 2026 triumph.
“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,” Doeschate said.
The assistant coach added that India intends to give players a longer run in the team as it begins a new cycle under Shreyas Iyer.
“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 bide his time and wait. But certainly no questions about how good he is and how ready he is,” he added.
HISTORY REPEATING?
Doeschate’s comments echoed remarks made by Suryakumar Yadav during the T20 World Cup 2026. During the tournament, the then-captain was asked why Samson remained out of the XI despite India’s opening struggles.
Suryakumar had responded by questioning which established batter should be dropped to accommodate Samson. India eventually brought Samson into the side and the wicketkeeper-batter responded with three successive impactful innings to help India win their third T20 World Cup title.
Doeschate’s remarks suggest that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi may have to wait longer for his India debut. At 15 years and three months old, Vaibhav could have become India’s youngest-ever international debutant had he featured in the Ireland series.
India travel to England next for a white-ball series comprising five T20Is and three ODIs. Vaibhav is part of the T20I squad and remains in contention to make his debut.
