New Delhi: Fans of the Civil Service Cricket Club in Belfast came hoping to see 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi make his debut for India against Ireland in the first T20I on Friday.Instead, he saw the teenager carrying a drink along the border fence.Every time Sooryavanshi entered the field with drinks, loud cheers went up from the ground as the spectators showed their support for the young man, whose captaincy India has been eagerly waiting for since his explosive IPL performances.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s debut continues
The excitement started even before the match when India’s new captain Shreyas Iyer has arrived at school. After naming the playing XI, Iyer was immediately asked if Sooryavanshi would make his international debut.The answer was no.“Unfortunately not (Sooryavanshi’s start). He is a gun player but we have some amazing players who have done well for us so we are supporting them. He will get opportunities when the time is right,” Iyer said.India retained the core of the team that won the T20 World Cup earlier this year, with Sooryavanshi forced to bide his time.
Irish history
Although the pre-match speculation was that Sooryavanshi would play, the headlines in the end were Ireland.The hosts stunned the reigning T20 World Cup hosts with a 34-run victory, their first win over India by any means.Ireland recovered from 51/4 to 182/9 before bowling India out for 148 in 18.5 overs to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
Shreyas Iyer promises a strong response
After going unbeaten in his first match as India’s T20I captain, Iyer admitted that the team had a lot to do.“We will never forget what happened and there is a lot to learn from this game. We will come out all guns blazing in the next game. “
Irish start-ups are amazing
India-born left-arm pacer Jai Moondra enjoyed a memorable performance, dismissing Sanju Samson with his first ball before finishing with 2/25.Matt Hollard also starred on his debut, taking three wickets, including those of Ishan Kishan and Iyer. Left-arm bowler Matthew Humphreys claimed three wickets as Ireland’s attack did not allow India to recover from the latter. Abhishek Sharma‘s blasted 50 off 20 balls.The two teams will meet again in the second and final T20I on Sunday, where Sooryavanshi could once again feature in India’s much-awaited tournament.
