Shreyas Iyer says Vaibhav Sooryavanshi must wait for T20I opportunities
Captain Shreyas Iyer explained that 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi cannot immediately walk into the playing XI because established openers Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma are scoring consistently.
India captain Shreyas Iyer says 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi won't immediately walk into the playing XI. Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma have been scoring consistently and were key in India's 2026 T20 World Cup win. Sooryavanshi earned his first India call-up after IPL 2026 and has played eight of the 21 T20Is this year.
Iyer thinks being in the dressing room keeps the teenager happy and helps him learn overseas conditions. It also lets him help teammates who are new to those venues. Sooryavanshi will stay on the bench for the five-match series against New Zealand that starts Friday.
Iyer repeated the point the day before the series: the hype doesn't change the fact that two proven openers are ahead of him.
CricHubb Take
The real test for India is whether Sooryavanshi stays patient or starts to wonder if his time will ever come. Five series on the bench can turn a prodigy into a question mark.