Sooryavanshi Patient Despite IPL Heroics as India Values Experience Over Youth in T20Is

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s remarkable IPL 2026 campaign has earned him a swift promotion to India’s T20I squad, but the young batter will need to exercise patience before making his international debut. The 19-year-old finished the season as Player of the Tournament, amassing 776 runs across 16 innings at a staggering average of 237.30.

While national selectors acknowledged that Sooryavanshi’s exceptional performances forced their hand, the team management has shown reluctance to disrupt their established opening pair. Despite India’s surprising series defeat to Ireland, incumbent openers Sanju Samson and his partner were retained, even as criticism mounted over their performances in both matches.

“Absolutely ready to play international cricket, there’s no doubt about that,” said team director ten Doeschate when questioned about Sooryavanshi’s readiness. “But also, I think it’s not a question to say you can leave Sanju Samson out. A guy who went a long way to winning India the World Cup three months ago and a guy who’s had a fairly good IPL [Samson scored two hundreds for Chennai Super Kings].”

Doeschate emphasized that the team’s approach prioritizes giving players extended runs rather than making hasty changes based on individual performances. “It’s important in terms of giving players confidence and the message we’re sending to players. We want to give guys a long run in the team. So, you know, as ready as Vaibhav is and as excited as we are and you are to see him play, he’s going to have to go through the same process as everyone else and, you know, bide his time and wait.”

Despite lacking a seam-bowling all-rounder for the first match against Ireland—with Hardik Pandya injured and Suryansh Shedge yet to arrive—India opted for veteran option Washington Sundar rather than fast-tracking Sooryavanshi. Shedge ultimately made his debut in the second T20I.

Sooryavanshi currently features exclusively in the T20I format and has been named for the upcoming five-match series in England, followed by the Asian Games, rather than being included in the ODI squad.

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