New Delhi: There is a lot of excitement surrounding 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s India debut ahead of the second and final T20I against Ireland.Fans will be hoping to see the teenage batting star make his international debut in the series opener in Belfast. However, the youngster had to wait as India stuck with an experienced batting line-up.The big question now is whether Sooryavanshi will get a chance in the second T20I on Sunday or if fans will have to wait until the five-match T20I series against England begins on July 1.
India expected to rebound
India enters the second T20I after suffering one of the biggest upsets in T20 history.The defending T20 World Cup champions were bowled out for 148, chasing 183, as Ireland registered its first international win over India.This is also a disappointing start Shreyas IyerHe returned to T20Is after 963 days and captained the Indian team for the first time.With the England series around the corner, Iyer is keen to level the series before the team leaves for England.
Iyer on Sooryavanshi’s debut
In the toss before the first T20I, Iyer confirmed that Sooryavanshi must wait for his chance.“He is a gunner but we have a group of players who are in great form and he is a gunner but we have some good players who have done well for us so we support them. When the time comes, he will get his chance,” Iyer said.
Kotak backs experienced players
A day before the first T20I, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak also hinted that India was unlikely to make an immediate debut for the teenager.“There is no doubt that Vaibhav is very talented. From the way he has batted in the IPL and all other games, it goes without saying that he has a lot of natural ability. Because in the IPL, he faced Jofra, a lot of fast bowlers, a lot of experienced bowlers. And nothing seems to bother him. So he’s obviously an extraordinary talent,” he said.Kotak also explained why the team management wants to continue supporting players who are already performing well.“It’s not right either. I think there’s a fine line between trying to give someone a chance and being unfair to other players,” Kotak said.“Tonight, the captain and the head coach will decide the line-up. If he performs well, if he doesn’t play for me, that’s great because he is part of the Indian team. I believe he will get his due and opportunity. So I don’t think just to give him a chance, we should drop someone who has already scored runs.”It remains to be seen whether Soriyavansh will make his much-awaited debut on Sunday, but both Iyer and Kotak made it clear that the teenager remains a key part of India’s plans and his opportunity will come at the right time.
