New Delhi: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s wait for India continued in the two-match T20I series against Ireland, as India were beaten by a stunning 2-0 whitewash under new captain Shreyas Iyer.The young striker is expected to claim his first international cap, with fans and pundits repeatedly calling for him to join the ranks. However, India retained their opening combination, leaving Sooryavanshi on the bench for the rest of the series. Now, with the five-match T20I series against England starting in Durham on Wednesday, interest is also on whether the youngster will get his chance.
Greater conflict increases the conflict of choice
India’s batting was difficult on the difficult Irish pitches, and the top order was not consistently delivered in the series. This match will increase Sooryavanshi’s call-up against England.The 15-year-old was called up to India after an impressive IPL 2026 campaign, during which he scored 776 runs at an impressive average of 237.30 and was named Player of the Tournament.Despite these figures, he remained an unused member of Ireland.
‘He’s totally ready’: Ryan ten Doeschate
India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate believes Sooryavanshi is ready to play international cricket but insisted the youngster will wait for his chance.“He’s absolutely ready to play international cricket, there’s no doubt about that. Also, I think it’s not a question to say you can leave Sanju Samson. The guy who went a long way to win India the World Cup three months ago. The guy who had the best IPL.”He emphasized the importance of supporting the players rather than making quick changes.“It’s important in terms of giving the players confidence, that’s the message we send to the players. We want to give the boys a long time in the team. So, as Vaibhav is ready and happy as we are and you have to see him play, he will have to go through the same process as everyone else and, you know, give it time and wait. But of course there are no questions about how good he is.”Ten Doeschate admitted that India could have adapted to Ireland but refused to blame the schedule or the short practice time.“I think more training gives you a chance to change. I think you also need to tread carefully in terms of freshness and giving guys time to rest and make sure they have new ideas in the lineup. Looking back, I wouldn’t have done things differently.”He added that the team has the opportunity to play fewer games but said there is no excuse.“We arrived here on Thursday and, again, we know how the Irish people are trying to set up a good place. The training ground was not good, so we had a little hit there but of course you would like to have three or four trips as you would in a normal trip.”“Also, there’s no excuse. If we really criticize ourselves, it’s the desire to change and play differently when faced with another challenge.” We throw our hands up, and say it’s something we need to do better quickly. “
Will the England series bring his luck?
India will now enter the five-match T20I series against England, starting in Durham on July 1. If the opening pair of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma fail to perform, the team management could hand Sooryavanshi the much-anticipated India debut.
