Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was back on the bench for the fourth T20I against New Zealand as a fit-again Ishan Kishan made his return to the playing XI. Sooryavanshi replaced Kishan for the second and third games.
After struggling in the second game, Sooryavanshi smashed 45 off just 19 balls as India completed the chase of 199 in only 13.2 overs in the third T20I. The 15-year-old added 133 runs for the first wicket in only 7.1 overs with Abhishek Sharma. But Sooryavanshi had to make way for Kishan in the fourth game.
Aakash Chopra wasn’t impressed with the team management’s decision to drop Sooryavanshi and he asked for him to be sent back home so he can play in the Ranji Trophy. He plays for Bihar in domestic cricket.
“The decision to drop Vaibhav Sooryavanshi leads to a bigger question. Will you play Vaibhav Sooryavanshi only when someone is injured or unavailable? If that is the case, you can send him home. You can tell him to go and play first-class cricket. Of course, he can learn by staying in the Indian dressing room. But if it’s happening for an extended period, he should be getting bat on ball,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
Sooryavanshi has played 11 first-class matches since his debut in 2024. He has scored 399 runs in 17 innings at an average of 23.47. The left-handed batter has also represented East Zone in the Duleep Trophy.
Will Sooryavanshi play fifth T20I?
Vaibhav is unlikely to be recalled to the playing XI for the fifth game. Having lost the fourth game by a big 87-run margin, India’s T20I squad would be eager to sign off from NZ on a winning note.
Following the fifth T20I on Sunday (November 1), the two teams will lock horns in 5 ODIs and 2 Test matches. India T20I captain Shreyas Iyer will lead the Men in Blue in the last two ODIs as well.