Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s long wait for a senior India debut continued on Wednesday, as the 15-year-old once again missed out on the playing XI for the opening T20I against England in Chester-le-Street. Despite the excitement surrounding the teenage prodigy, the India team management stuck with its trusted top order, leaving Sooryavanshi to watch from the sidelines.
India’s batting unit remained unchanged with Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan preferred at the top, and batting legend Sunil Gavaskar believes the delay could only make life harder for the youngster when his opportunity finally arrives. Sooryavanshi had already been left out of the XI for both T20Is against Ireland, and with each passing game, the anticipation around his India debut continues to grow.
According to Gavaskar, the longer the wait, the greater the pressure will be when Sooryavanshi eventually gets his chance. “It will put him under more pressure whenever he gets an opportunity,” Sunil 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.”
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The former India captain, however, believes the teenager’s age could work in his favour. “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,” Sunil Gavaskar added.
India’s decision to persist with their established opening combination came even after their surprising T20I series defeat in Ireland. The management once again backed the Samson-Abhishek-Kishan trio, while Sooryavanshi continued to wait for his first senior cap. The opening T20I against England eventually ended in frustration, but not because of the team selection. After a shaky start, India recovered strongly to post 189 for 7, only for rain to wash out England’s chase without a ball being bowled.
India were in trouble early after slipping to 6 for 2 inside the first two overs. Sanju Samson was dismissed after a fine catch by Tom Banton at backward point off Saqib Mahmood, while Ishan Kishan fell run out following a mix-up with Abhishek Sharma.
Abhishek made amends in style, smashing a brilliant 59 off 24 balls and becoming the fastest batter to reach 100 sixes in T20 Internationals, doing so in just 785 deliveries. Captain Shreyas Iyer then anchored the innings with a composed 68 off 47 balls, while Shivam Dube finished strongly with an unbeaten 42 off 21. Saqib Mahmood was England’s standout bowler with figures of 3 for 33.
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In the end, the drizzle that had hovered around India’s innings turned heavier, forcing the umpires to abandon the match without England facing a single delivery. Both teams had to settle for a no result. This format is more in line with how leading cricket websites separate direct quotes for better readability and SEO.
