For the past couple of weeks, the first question at almost every India press conference had very little to do with India’s plans for life after Suryakumar Yadav or how new captain Shreyas Iyer wanted his T20 side to shape up.
It was all about “When is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi getting his India cap?”
Sunil Gavaskar thought the answer should have been straightforward.
Speaking to India Today’s sister channel Aaj Tak ahead of the opening T20I against England, the batting legend made it clear that India had waited long enough.
“No [you can’t wait any longer]. You should play him from the first game in England. It’s as straightforward as that. Keep the out-of-form batters on the bench and play Sooryavanshi. That’s it. Either you play him as the opener or at No. 3, but he has to play the first match of the England series.”
IND vs ENG, 1st T20I: UPDATES
India, though, had other ideas.
As Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opted to bat first in the opening T20I in Durham, Sooryavanshi’s name was once again missing from the playing XI. The 15-year-old batting sensation will have to wait a little longer for his senior India debut as the management stuck with Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan at the top of the order despite the batting struggles during the Ireland series.
It also means Sooryavanshi will have to wait a little longer to become the youngest male cricketer to represent India in international cricket. Had he featured on Tuesday, the Rajasthan Royals opener would have eclipsed Sachin Tendulkar’s long-standing record after the batting great debuted at 16 years and 205 days.
The decision, however, was entirely in line with the messaging coming from the Indian camp over the last fortnight.
From Ireland to England, Shreyas Iyer, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate and the rest of the team management never looked tempted to hand Sooryavanshi a debut simply because the clamour outside kept growing. Their stance remained unchanged: the players who had delivered India the T20 World Cup deserved the security to play through a lean patch.
“The players who have won the last World Cup… have been the main pillars of that format, so it’s very important to back them,” Iyer said on the eve of the England series.
When asked directly whether Sooryavanshi would make his debut, the India captain refused to reveal his plans.
“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,” Iyer said.
“He is a prodigy and whenever he gets an opportunity to play, definitely, he will do a brilliant job.”
For now, that opportunity remains just out of reach.
THE CASE FOR VAIBHAV KEEPS GROWING
If the management stayed patient, Sooryavanshi certainly didn’t stop giving them reasons to pick him.
Months before India flew to England, the teenager had produced one of the greatest individual IPL seasons in the tournament’s history. Opening the batting for Rajasthan Royals, he finished with 776 runs to win the Orange Cap, scoring at a staggering strike rate of 237.30. There was a century, five half-centuries and an astonishing 72 sixes, but perhaps the biggest statement was the quality of attacks he dominated. Jasprit Bumrah, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood all found themselves on the receiving end as Sooryavanshi batted with remarkable freedom.
The IPL was only the beginning.
He carried that form into the India A tour of Sri Lanka and saved his best for the tri-series final, smashing the fastest fifty in List A cricket history before hammering 94 off just 29 balls against Sri Lanka A. It was another reminder that the bigger the occasion, the more comfortable the youngster seemed to become.
That wasn’t a one-off either.
Earlier this year, Sooryavanshi endured a modest group stage at the Under-19 World Cup before exploding when India reached the business end of the tournament. He smashed 68 off 33 balls against Afghanistan in the semi-final before producing a breathtaking 175 against England in the final, bringing up the fastest century ever scored in an Under-19 World Cup title clash.
It is that body of work that has kept his name at the centre of almost every selection discussion over the last month.
INDIA STICK TO THEIR WORLD CUP CORE
Instead of handing Sooryavanshi his debut, India once again backed the players who had delivered the T20 World Cup only a few months ago.
India Playing XI: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (capt), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakaravarthy.
The selection underlines what the management has been saying all along. A poor series in Ireland wasn’t enough to force wholesale changes, and the faith in the World Cup-winning batting group remains intact despite the growing calls for Sooryavanshi’s inclusion.
The encouraging part for the teenager is that this is only the first game of a five-match series.
If India decide to rotate their squad or freshen up the batting order later in the tour, the opportunity could still arrive sooner rather than later.
For now, though, one of the most anticipated debuts in Indian cricket remains on hold.
– Ends
