No debut for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in Durham as India ignore Sunil Gavaskar’s suggestion

For the past few weeks, the first question at almost every press conference in India has had very little to do with India’s plans for life after Suryakumar Yadav or how new captain Shreyas Iyer wanted his T20 side to shape up.

It was all about “When will Vaibhav Sooryavanshi get his India cap?”

thought Sunil Gavaskar the answer should have been clear.

Speaking to India Today’s sister channel Aaj Tak ahead of the T20I against England, the batting legend made it clear that India have waited long enough.

“No (you can’t wait any longer). You should play him from the first game in England. It’s so straightforward. Leave the batsman on the bench and play Sooryavanshi. That’s it. You’ll either play him as an opener or at No. 3, but he has to play the first game of the England series.”

IND vs ENG, 1st T20I: UPDATE

India, however, had other ideas.

When Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to bat first in the opening T20I in Durham, Sooryavanshi’s name was again missing from the playing eleven. The 15-year-old batting sensation will have to wait a little longer for his senior debut in India as the management has remained at the top of the order with Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan despite batting problems during the Ireland series.

It also means that Sooryavanshi will have to wait a little longer to become the youngest cricketer to represent India in international cricket. Had he performed on Tuesday, the Rajasthan Royals opener would have eclipsed Sachin Tendulkar’s long-standing record after the great batsman made his debut at 16 years and 205 days.

The decision, however, was entirely in accordance with the report coming from the Indian camp during the last fortnight.

From Ireland to England, Shreyas Iyer, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate and the rest of the team management never seemed tempted to hand Sooryavanshi a debut simply because the noise outside kept growing. Their stance remained unchanged: the players who carried India to the T20 World Cup deserved the assurance of playing through a lean patch.

“The players who won the last World Cup… were the pillars of this format, so it is very important to support them,” Iyer said on the eve of the England series.

When asked directly if Sooryavanshi will make his debut, the Indian captain refused to reveal his plans.

“You never know what’s going to happen. Our hands are also tied at this point in terms of what we’re going to do. That’s very private,” Iyer said.

“He’s a prodigy and whenever he gets a chance to play, he’s definitely going to do a great job.”

For now, that opportunity is out of reach.

THE CASE FOR VAIBHAV CONTINUES TO GROW

If the management remained patient, Sooryavanshi certainly did not stop giving them reasons to pick him.

Months before India flew to England, the teenager had one of the greatest individual IPL seasons in the history of the tournament. Opening the batting for Rajasthan Royals, he finished with 776 runs to win the Orange Cap, scoring at an astonishing rate of 237.30. There was a century, five half-centuries and an amazing 72 sixes, but perhaps the biggest statement was the quality of the attacks he dominated. Jasprit Bumrah, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood all found themselves on the receiving end while Sooryavanshi batted with remarkable freedom.

The IPL was just the beginning.

He carried that form into India A’s tour of Sri Lanka, saving his best performances for the tri-series final when he smashed the fastest fifty in the history of List A cricket before smashing 94 off just 29 balls against Sri Lanka A. It was another reminder that the bigger the occasion, the more comfortable the youngster seemed to be.

It wasn’t unique either.

Earlier this year, Sooryavanshi endured a modest group stage at the U-19 World Cup before exploding as India reached the business end of the tournament. He smashed 68 off 33 balls in the semi-final against Afghanistan and made a breathtaking 175 in the final against England, scoring the fastest century recorded in an Under-19 World Cup title match.

It is this work that has kept his name at the center of almost every selection discussion over the past month.

INDIA HOLDS ON TO ITS WORLD CUP CORE

Instead of handing Sooryavanshi his debut, India once again backed the players who secured the T20 World Cup a few months ago.

India Playing XI: Sanju Samson (week), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakaravarthy.

The pick underscores what management has been saying all along. A poor series in Ireland was not enough to force major changes and faith in the World Cup-winning batting line-up remains intact despite growing calls for Sooryavanshi’s inclusion.

Encouragingly for the teenager, this is only the first game of a five-match series.

If India decide to rotate their team or freshen up the batting order later in the tour, the opportunity could come sooner rather than later.

But for now, one of the most anticipated debuts in Indian cricket remains on hold.

– The end

Issued by:

Debodinna Chakraborty

Published on:

1 Jul 2026 22:03 IST