There was significant excitement after 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was named in India’s T20I squad, with expectations building that June 26 would mark his historic debut and potentially make him the youngest player to earn an India cap, surpassing a long-standing record associated with Sachin Tendulkar.
However, India did not include him in the playing XI for the opening T20I in Belfast. Captain Shreyas Iyer confirmed the decision, saying the team preferred to stick with experienced players, particularly those who had performed well in recent series and in the T20 World Cup-winning campaign. He added that Sooryavanshi would get his chance in due course, but the team combination required balance with senior players and a specific mix of seamers, all-rounders, and spinners.
Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar supported the decision, saying it would not have been fair to drop in-form players like Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, who had delivered strong performances in recent matches. He also pointed out that India had already made a difficult selection call by leaving out some established players, indicating a focus on merit-based choices.
The India playing XI for the match featured Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, and Prasidh Krishna.
The report also highlighted Sooryavanshi’s recent performances, including a rapid 94 off 28 balls for India A against Sri Lanka A, where he reached a half-century in 11 balls, setting a List A record. He had also impressed in domestic and franchise cricket with an exceptionally high strike rate and several explosive innings, which led to widespread public demand for his inclusion.
