Shreyas Iyer says Vaibhav Sooryavanshi cannot walk into India T20I XI
Iyer confirmed that established openers will retain their places while Sooryavanshi gains experience from the bench during the New Zealand tour.
India T20I captain Shreyas Iyer confirmed that Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson will continue as the opening pair for the five-match series against New Zealand that begins on Thursday in Christchurch. Iyer said the 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi cannot walk straight into the side while the current openers remain consistent.
The teenager has played eight T20Is so far and scored 246 runs at a strike rate of 186.36. Iyer said Sooryavanshi is very young and has more years to earn opportunities at the top level. He added that the youngster would gain valuable experience from touring overseas and would be better prepared for future conditions.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar returns to the T20I side after a 1425-day gap and will lead the attack in the absence of injured Jasprit Bumrah. Hardik Pandya is also unavailable for the series.
CricHubb Take
India's depth allows the team to keep a prodigy on the bench without weakening the XI, but it also places Sooryavanshi in a holding pattern that may stretch across several series.