Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to get India debut in Belfast T20I? The batting coach breaks the silence

Anticipation for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s India debut continues to grow, but the Indian team management is in no mood to rush the 15-year-old into the playing XI. Before first T20I against Ireland in Belfast, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said the teenage sensation will get an opportunity when the time is right and insisted India will not drop an in-form player just to rush his debut. Kotak added that head coach Gautam Gambhir and newly appointed captain Shreyas Iyer will take the final challenge in the playing eleven.

If selected, Sooryavanshi will become the youngest cricketer to make his international debut for India in both the men’s and women’s teams, adding another layer of intrigue to Thursday’s team selection. Bihar batter turned out to be one of the India’s brightest young prospects after the sensational Indian Premier League campaign, making his potential debut one of the biggest talking points ahead of the Belfast clash.

Inevitably, Kotak was questioned about Sooryavanshi during the pre-match press conference, but while he acknowledged the teenager’s extraordinary talent, he stressed that the management’s priority remains picking the best possible XI rather than an emotional decision.

“Vaibhav is very talented, there’s no doubt about that. And the way he’s batted in the IPL and all the other games, it goes without saying that he has a lot of natural ability. He’s faced Jofro (Archer) and a lot of fast, experienced bowlers in the IPL and nothing seems to bother him. So he’s obviously an extraordinary talent,” Kotak said.

However, Kotak maintained that talent alone does not guarantee an immediate debut and reiterated that the captain and head coach will decide on the playing eleven based on the team’s requirements.

“Tonight the captain and the head coach will decide the team. And if he plays, great. If he doesn’t play, that’s also great because he’s part of the Indian team. And I’m sure he’ll get his due and his opportunities. So I don’t think just to give him an opportunity we should drop someone who has already scored,” Kotak said.

The batting coach added that the management wanted to avoid being unfair to a player who had already cemented his place in the team, saying there was a “very fine line between trying to give someone an opportunity and being unfair to another player”.

NO SPECIAL TREATMENT

While Sooryavanshi’s age made him one of the biggest talking points ahead of the Ireland series, Kotak insisted that the teenager would not get special treatment from the team management. Instead, the batting coach said the focus is on making the youngster feel at home in the dressing room and enjoy the experience of being around the senior.

Kotak also credited BCCI’s pathway system and said that players have graduated through BCCI Under 19 and India A setup they are already familiar with the culture of the national team, which makes the transition much smoother.

“I feel like at this level, the maturity, the decision-making and the intent of those who perform at this level is always going to be good. More than that, if he feels he’s part of the team, he can act as freely as he does on any other team. That’s good enough.”

“And because of the BCCI system, the guys coming from Under-19 and India A more or less understand the culture of the Indian team. So it’s not like it makes a big difference to him. We’ve just been telling him to enjoy it.”

“If he wants to ask something or share something, he should do it. Gautam was telling him the same thing. You just feel that you are playing for your own team and express yourself freely,” Kotak said.

Whether Sooryavanshi will make his much-anticipated debut against Ireland will be known only after India unveil their playing XI. If selected, the 15-year-old will script as India’s youngest international debutant in both the men’s and women’s teams. If not, Koták’s message was clear: the teenager’s time will come, but only when the team believes the moment is right.

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Issued by:

Amar Panicker

Published on:

26 Jun 2026 0:02 IST