India keeps Vaibhav Sooryavanshi waiting for home T20I debut
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi remains on the bench as India prefer Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson for the West Indies T20Is.
India kept 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi out of the playing eleven for the first T20I against West Indies in Lucknow on Tuesday. The team management opted for the established opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, with Ishan Kishan at number three.
Sooryavanshi has played eight T20Is but is yet to feature in a home international. He scored the fastest fifty in List A cricket off 11 balls for India A in June and smashed 175 off 80 balls in the Under-19 World Cup final in February. Kapil Dev warned that many talented youngsters fade out and said Sooryavanshi needs another three years before judgements can be made.
Former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar said the competition in the top order is healthy. Coach Chandrakant Pandit said once Sooryavanshi is picked, he should be backed consistently.
CricHubb Take
The decision to keep Sooryavanshi waiting protects him from early scrutiny but also risks blunting the momentum he built through age-group cricket and the IPL. India's top-order depth is a luxury, yet the longer he stays on the bench, the harder it becomes to integrate him without disrupting a settled combination.