Former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik believes Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will continue to face heavy examination from opposition fast bowlers, especially through the short ball aimed at his helmet, after the teenager’s dismissal in the third T20I against England in Nottingham on July 7. The 15-year-old was undone by an excellent bouncer from Jofra Archer and fell for 13 off just five balls.

Sooryavanshi has now had a difficult start to his international career, scoring 27 runs across his first two T20I innings at an average of 13.50. In both matches, England’s quicks tested him with pace and hostile lengths around the body, forcing the youngster into uncomfortable positions early in his innings.

Speaking on Sky Sports Cricket, Karthik said the challenge for Sooryavanshi is likely to become more demanding as teams begin planning specifically for him. He explained that England’s aggressive pace attack exposed India’s vulnerability against the short ball and highlighted the technical adjustments the youngster will need to make.

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“England’s aggressive bowling and hitting hard lengths meant India had to be good off the backfoot, which they weren’t. Vaibhav Suryavanshi, this is going to come a lot at him – the short ball at the helmet. What are his answers for that? Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer were looking for short balls and hence not fully committed to their shots. So it is technical on that front,” Dinesh Karthik said.

He added that even when batters manage to counter the short ball once, bowlers will often return with the same plan straightaway in T20 cricket. According to Karthik, Sooryavanshi must learn how to get inside the line of the ball, ride the bounce and stay committed in his method if he is to succeed consistently at this level.

The former India cricketer also turned his attention to the broader team situation, saying Shreyas Iyer now has a major leadership test in front of him. India’s 125-run defeat in Nottingham was their heaviest in T20Is, leaving them 0-2 down in the five-match series and under serious pressure.

Karthik said the current squad lacks many senior voices, with Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav absent, while Sanju Samson has also been dropped from the XI. In his view, that places even more responsibility on Iyer and head coach Gautam Gambhir to guide the dressing room through a tough period.

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“There aren’t any senior players in the team like a Bumrah, Hardik or Suryakumar Yadav. Even Sanju Samson is dropped. So who’s the senior player? Hence, the conversations inside the dressing room should be spearheaded by Gambhir and Shreyas Iyer. But Iyer would know he has walked into a mega territory,” Dinesh Karthik said.

He concluded that the final two matches offer Iyer a chance to lead from the front, score runs and rebuild belief within the group. India now needs to win both remaining matches to avoid a rare bilateral T20I series defeat.