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Cricket PlayersVaibhav Sooryavanshi snubbed? Ambati Rayudu's T20 World Cup blueprint has an unlikely opening combination
Despite all the noise surrounding Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's rise, Ambati Rayudu saw India's future T20 opening pair very differently
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi became the first uncapped Indian player in history to score more than 700 runs in a single IPL season. With 776 runs in 16 innings, he finished IPL 2026 as the Orange Cap holder, piling up those runs at a staggering strike rate of 237.31, with a century and five fifties.
Following a season that has defied imagination, especially for a 15-year-old, conversations around a fast-tracked India debut have only grown louder. Yet, despite all the noise surrounding Sooryavanshi's rise, Ambati Rayudu saw India's future T20 opening pair very differently.
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, the former India batter did not pick Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan or even Sooryavanshi while outlining his preferred opening combination for the 2028 T20 World Cup. Instead, Rayudu backed the Gujarat Titans duo of Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan.
The pair have been the most productive opening combination in IPL 2026, adding 885 runs together. They now stand just 54 runs away from breaking the all-time IPL record for most runs by an opening pair in a season, currently held by Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, who scored 939 runs together for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2016.
For Rayudu, however, the argument went beyond IPL numbers. With the next T20 World Cup scheduled to be held in Australia and New Zealand, he believes Gill and Sudharsan are better suited to the conditions likely to be on offer there.
“I think we are witnessing a pair that might travel to Australia and tackle the conditions there. The wicket was very similar in pace and bounce. And the ease with which these two are batting…I’ll be surprised if both of them don’t go there,” Rayudu said.
“If conditions suit them, if you take a Gill, you would like to take Sudharsan as well, because they both complement each other beautifully. You are seeing it in the partnership; they both know each other’s game very well. It’s a great add-on if you want them to excel in different conditions,” he added.
Gill currently sits second in the Orange Cap standings with 722 runs in 15 matches, while Sudharsan follows closely with 710 runs in 16 innings. Together, they have formed the most dominant opening partnership of the season.
“I am not saying others are not good…It just might be that they both might be more suitable than the others,” Rayudu explained.
The discussion then shifted to India's extraordinary batting depth, with former Australia cricketer Tom Moody joking that India could simply send two teams to the tournament. Former World Cup-winning captain Aaron Finch agreed, highlighting the embarrassment of riches available to Indian cricket.
But Moody quickly offered a note of caution.
“The depth they have got is just phenomenal. But again, you are looking at the micro space of IPL; you need to look at the bigger picture. We all get carried away with what happens in IPL. But international cricket is on a different level again,” he said.
“We have seen it dictate selection in all forms of the game, haven’t we? Have a good IPL and that can get you selected in the Test team.”
Moody clarified that while IPL performances are useful in identifying talent, they should not automatically fast-track players into the national side.
“That’s my point. You identify the talent. It should not force you to pick that talent then. I think a bigger story needs to be had to qualify for a position,” he said.
Moody's point was simple. IPL performances should identify talent, not automatically elevate it. And as the clamour around Sooryavanshi's India future grows louder with every innings, that debate is only likely to intensify in the months ahead.
