Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s wait for his senior India debut continued on Wednesday after the 15-year-old was once again left out of the playing XI for the opening T20I against England in Chester-le-Street.
While the Indian team management has continued to back its World Cup-winning top order of Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan, batting great Sunil Gavaskar believes delaying the teenager’s debut will only increase the pressure on him when he eventually gets his chance.
Sooryavanshi, who earned his maiden India call-up after a record-breaking IPL season, had also remained on the bench for both T20Is against Ireland. With anticipation around the youngster continuing to grow, Gavaskar said the longer the wait, the greater the expectations will be when he finally makes his India debut.
“It will put him (Sooryavanshi) under more pressure whenever he gets an opportunity,” Gavaskar said on Sony Sports. “But at 15 years of age, you don’t think too much about pressure. He knows that if he gets the opportunity in the second or third game, he will have to deliver almost immediately. That’s there.”
The former India captain, however, believes Sooryavanshi’s age could work in his favour and said the teenager would be making the most of the opportunity to learn from some of the country’s best players.
“But he is happy to be around. This Indian team is full of lovely, tremendous players, and it is just fantastic for him to be learning from them,” Gavaskar added.
India’s decision to persist with their established opening combination came despite their surprise T20I series defeat in Ireland. The management once again showed faith in the trio of Samson, Abhishek and Kishan, leaving Sooryavanshi to wait for another opportunity.
The opening T20I against England, however, ended in frustration after rain forced the match to be abandoned without a ball being bowled in England’s chase.
India had recovered well from a disastrous start to post 189 for 7 after being reduced to 6 for 2 inside the opening two overs. Sanju Samson departed after Tom Banton pulled off a superb catch at backward point off Saqib Mahmood, while Ishan Kishan was run out following a mix-up with Abhishek Sharma.
Abhishek responded in emphatic fashion, taking the attack to the England bowlers with a blistering 59 off 24 balls. The left-hander also became the fastest batter to reach 100 sixes in T20 internationals, achieving the milestone in just 785 deliveries.
Captain Shreyas Iyer steadied the innings with a well-compiled 68 off 47 balls, while Shivam Dube provided the late flourish with an unbeaten 42 from 21 deliveries. Saqib Mahmood finished as England’s most successful bowler with figures of 3 for 33.
England never got the chance to begin their chase as the drizzle, which had persisted through much of India’s innings, became heavier. The umpires eventually called off the match, leaving both teams to settle for a no result.
– Ends
