Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s much-awaited India debut has become the talk of the town. From being in awe of Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan, the Indian fans have tweaked their habits as they turn their screens in anticipation to see if Sooryavanshi is making his debut. He did not earn his cap during the two-match T20I series against Ireland, with several experts criticising the move as the 15-year-old has had to wait for his chances. As the five-match T20I series against England kicks off on July 1, the same eagerness is at its peak: Will we see the teenage sensation in action?
It might not be for just now, as the waiting time is likely to continue. This was the hint that Shreyas Iyer gave when he sat for the press conference on the eve of the five-match series opener atย Chester-le-Street. He first highlighted that the T20 World Cup-winning players need to get a longer rope.ย “Look, all the players in the team have performed well; it’s not that only one individual has performed well,” Iyer said on the eve of the game. “But we have to build that opportunity and security, so that each individual has confidence going forward into the tournaments. The players who have won the last World Cup definitely have an idea of how to play T20, and continuously they have been the main pillars of that format, so it’s very important to back them.”
He kept his cards close to his chest on Sooryavanshi. “You never know what is going to happen. Our hands are also tied at the moment in terms of what we are going to do. This is very private. This is something that we discuss in the team. We can’t let everyone know which combination we are going to play and let opponents know this is going to happen. He is a prodigy, and whenever he gets an opportunity to play, definitely, he will do a brilliant job,” he said.
How can India’s Playing XI look like?
With Iyer’s statement, it does not look like India will be making drastic changes to their Playing XI that lost the second T20I to Ireland. Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson might continue to open, while Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube and Suryansh Shedge are likely to form the batting core. Axar Patel and Harshit Rana offer a secondary role as batters apart from their bowling skills. Prince Yadav shall hold onto his spot after an impressive debut in the second T20I, while Arshdeep Singh would likely keep his place over Prasidh Krishna.
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