With Shreyas Iyer dismissing any chances of Vaibhav Suryavanshi getting a chance in the playing XI during the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, which is starting on Thursday (October 22), India’s approach to the 15-year-old prodigy will come under scrutiny, and there definitely is a need for a rethink in how things are being handled.
Since being called up to the Indian team for the first team ahead of the tour of the United Kingdom (UK), Suryavanshi has only played eight T20Is out of the 21 they have played in this period, despite being part of the squad in all assignments. The youngster has impressed in his limited chances with 246 runs in eight matches at an average of 30.75 and a strike rate of 186.36.
The teenager won the Player of the Series (POTS) award on the tour of Zimbabwe when he played all three games, but was benched for all three games of the series against Afghanistan at home and did not play any of the five games in the recently concluded series against West Indies either, despite featuring in the semi-final and final of the Asian Games.
In fact, he is yet to play a match for India on Indian soil, which means he has missed out on a chance to gain confidence on those batting-friendly surfaces at home, where other players have been able to improve their numbers. It must not be forgotten that on a very tricky surface for batting in the semi-final against Sri Lanka at the Asian Games in Nagoya, he played an impactful knock of 21-ball 38 against Sri Lanka, where no batters from either side apart from Ishan Kishan (80* of 46). Even the youngster’s incredible display on Zimbabwe came in not the easiest conditions, which was evident by Abhishek’s struggles.
Play Or Release Vaibhav Sooryavanshi?
Both head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shreyas Iyer have maintained that they do not want to disturb the opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, who have been consistent and played a key role in India winning the 2026 T20 World Cup earlier this year. While the argument is fair, one has to wonder why it is not possible for India to rotate their squad and give all three openers a chance, with the Olympics and the next T20 World Cup two years away.
This will not just mean that Vaibhav gets ample game time but also relieve Abhishek and Samson of the pressure of playing with the pressure of the star batter sitting out and avoided situations like what happened in England, when Samson had to be dropped from the playing XI after just three failures post winning the Player of the Tournament (POTM) in the 2026 T20 World Cup to make way for Vaibhav with the team struggling with results.
Moreover, if India has no plans to rotate the squad and give Vaibhav a chance, one has to wonder why he is a part of this squad. With Ishan Kishan part of the squad, India has a back-up opener in their mix in case of a last-minute injury. One would argue the team will be much better off picking a middle-orderplayer in the squad, who can fill in for multiple positions if the need arises, such as Rinku Singh or Rajat Patidar.
Moreover, Vaibhav will be better off playing in the Ranji Trophy or playing for India-A instead of spending long periods on the bench. The 15-year-old missed the chance to play the List A and first-class series against Australia-A in the two longer formats, where he still needs to develop his game and prove his credentials. Similarly, the three-match multi-day series against New Zealand-A would have been ideal to test the youngster in red-ball cricket against a quality team in tough conditions. Even if he does not find a space in the India-A red-ball team yet, he could be playing in the Ranji Trophy for Bihar and improve his game in the longest format of the sport.
India Need To Make A Decision
Ultimately, Vaibhav is not a run-of-the-mill player, and India cannot ignore him. Firstly, as good a player he is, the batter is only 15 at the moment, and it is the responsibility of the BCCI, team management, and the selectors to take care of him and treat him differently. Long periods on the bench can be frustrating for any individual, and hence the Men in Blue just cannot keep telling Vaibhav to continue waiting without playing any cricket anywhere.
Meanwhile, Vaibhav is by all means a generational talent, and you cannot keep him out for long; sooner rather than later, India will need to make space for him. The job of the team management is to pick the best playing XI for India, and it is debatable if Vaibhav does not feature in it.
While it is repeated that Vaibhav is old and his time will come, it is also important that a player gets his chance when he is in form. Moreover, the fact that Sachin Tendulkar played for 24 years does not mean everyone can, and you never know whether Vaibhav actually has time.
Tendulkar became who he did because he was given the chance at 16 when he was ready, and India needs to ensure they do not do anything that hampers the star batter’s development or mental state.