Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s dream of making his senior debut for India has been delayed once again but the teenage batter continues to gain valuable experience by being part of the national team setup.
The 15-year-old player was included in India’s squad for the recent T20I series against Ireland and the ongoing tour of England after impressing selectors. However, he has not made it to the playing XI yet. After sitting out both matches against Ireland, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi remained on the bench for the opening T20I against England at Chester-le-Street on Wednesday.
India’s team management has continued to trust the top-order combination that won the T20 World Cup, featuring Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan. As a result, the young opener is still waiting for his first opportunity in international cricket.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar believes that every match Vaibhav Sooryavanshi misses will increase the expectations when he finally gets his chance. Even so, Gavaskar feels the youngster’s age could help him handle the pressure.
Speaking on a sports channel, Sunil Gavaskar said the pressure would naturally be higher whenever Vaibhav Sooryavanshi gets an opportunity because people will expect him to perform immediately. However, he added that players at the age of 15 usually don’t overthink such situations. Gavaskar also said that the teenager is fortunate to be surrounded by experienced Indian cricketers and can learn a great deal by spending time with the squad.
Meanwhile, the first T20I between India and England ended without a result after heavy rain prevented England from beginning their chase at the Riverside Ground.
Batting first, India recovered well after losing two early wickets. Abhishek Sharma played a brilliant innings of 59 runs from just 24 balls, while captain Shreyas Iyer scored 68 off 47 deliveries to guide the visitors to 189/7.
Sanju Samson managed only 1 run, Ishan Kishan was dismissed for a duck and Tilak Varma scored 13. Shivam Dube added an unbeaten 42 from 21 balls to give India a strong finish.
For England, Saqib Mahmood was the standout bowler with impressive figures of 3 wickets for 33 runs in four overs.
The teams will now meet again in the second T20I, scheduled for July 4 at Old Trafford in Manchester, where fans will once again hope to see whether Vaibhav Sooryavanshi finally gets his long-awaited debut.
