India captain Shreyas Iyer reiterated on Saturday that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi needs to wait for his chance, as, for now, the management will continue to back the established opening combination of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson.
Sooryavanshi had a breakthrough IPL 2026 season for the Rajasthan Royals, smashing 776 runs, winning all the major batting accolades. This performance earned him a place in India's T20I squad for the tours of Ireland and England. However, he has only played eight T20Is so far, and his appearances have been few and far between despite being named Player of the Series in Zimbabwe.
Most of Sooryavanshi's T20I appearances have come when VVS Laxman has taken over the reins of the team. Under head coach Gautam Gambhir, the 15-year-old has only been a part of the playing XI thrice, with all three appearances coming in the series against England earlier this year.
The left-handed batter didn't play a single game in the series against Afghanistan and the West Indies. After the five-match series between India and the Windies ended at 2-2, Shreyas was asked about the conversations he has been having with the youngster, and it was then that the skipper added that Sooryavanshi needs to wait for his time.
“I just keep telling him, you'll get your opportunity. You see, there are two batters who have probably won the World Cup for you, and they've been consistent with the run scoring as well,” Shreyas said at the post-match presentation.
{{/usCountry}}“I just keep telling him, you'll get your opportunity. You see, there are two batters who have probably won the World Cup for you, and they've been consistent with the run scoring as well,” Shreyas said at the post-match presentation.
{{/usCountry}}“So, if you are consistent with your processes and your mindset is a bit light, don't think too much about getting an opportunity right now. I know what must be going on in his mind, especially after a phenomenal IPL season, but you have to wait sometimes, and we've got two fantastic openers who have been consistent throughout. That's the interaction I basically had with him, right from the Afghanistan series," he added.
The Samson-Sooryavanshi saga
On the tour of the UK, Samson was dropped from the playing XI after three low scores - two against Ireland and one against England - paving the way for Sooryavanshi to make his debut. However, the left-hander failed to replicate his IPL form in the three matches against England, leading to Samson coming back for the fifth and final T20I.
However, Samson, who was the T20 World Cup Player of the Tournament, was then rested for the series against Zimbabwe.
Samson then made his way into the squad for the series against Afghanistan, where he started ahead of Sooryavanshi in the playing XI. In the Asian Games, Abhishek, Samson and Sooryavanshi all featured in the lineup; however, the youngster was relegated to the bench in the series against the West Indies.