However, of late, the Indian team management has been backing Samson, the Player of the Tournament at the 2026 T20 World Cup. As a result, Sooryavanshi has been warming the bench and gets an opportunity only when a batter is unavailable. Samson has, on multiple occasions, lost his place to the wonderkid, who has mesmerised one and all with his incredible stroke play While Abhishek’s position is never a matter of debate.
Fifteen-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continues to fight for his spot in the T20I team as India back their proven openers, Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson .
- Ishan Kishan could not play the second game against the Blackcaps due to a low-grade right adductor strain and will miss the third contest as well. Though India won the second T20I, the debate regarding the experiment remains open.
For the second match, India included Sooryavanshi in the playing XI but made him bat at No. The southpaw scored four off eight deliveries before finding the fielder at extra cover. With Kishan set to miss another game, it will be interesting to see if the team opts to continue with the same batting combination used in the second match.
The 15-year-old swashbuckling batter has been a serious headache for opposition bowlers while opening the innings. Be it the fastest IPL century by an Indian (35 balls) or the breathtaking 175 off 80 balls in the 2026 Under-19 World Cup final, all of Sooryavanshi’s stunning knocks have come while opening the innings.
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Meanwhile, Ashwin said on his YouTube channel, “I just felt like he was a fish out of water. it does open the door for a debate: was it right to alter Sooryavanshi’s batting position While a single knock cannot determine the success or failure of the experiment undertaken by the Indian team management. However, in the second T20I against New Zealand, the Indian team management opted to stick with Samson and Abhishek as openers and push Sooryavanshi to No. Walking in during the sixth over is not his cup of tea.
