Sooryavanshi warmed the bench throughout the five-T20I series against the West Indies.
India’s T20I skipper Shreyas Iyer reiterated on Saturday (October 17) that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi needs to wait for his chance, as the team management intends to continue backing the established opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson.
Iyer’s comment came after the series-deciding fifth T20I against the West Indies was abandoned due to rain in Bengaluru.
The fixture was reduced to nine overs per side because of rain. India, who were asked to bat first, blasted 118/5 in 7.4 overs at a run rate of over 15 before the rain returned to permanently halt the match. Since the visitors did not get to bat the minimum required 5 overs, the game was declared a No Result, resulting in a 2-2 series draw.
The 15-year-old Sooryavanshi warmed the bench throughout the five-T20I series, and captain Shreyas opened up on his conversation with the teenager.
“I just keep telling him, you'll get your opportunity. You see, there are two batters who have probably won the World Cup for you, and they've been consistent with the run scoring as well,” Shreyas said at the post-match presentation.
“So, if you are consistent with your processes and your mindset is a bit light, don't think too much about getting an opportunity right now. I know what must be going on in his mind, especially after a phenomenal IPL season, but you have to wait sometimes, and we've got two fantastic openers who have been consistent throughout. That's the interaction I basically had with him, right from the Afghanistan series," he added.
After handing the young prodigy his debut international cap on the tour of England in July, the Indian think tank has played musical chairs with the opening slot. While Abhishek is a regular fixture, Samson and Sooryavanshi compete for the other spot.
Ahead of the Asian Games 2026, the Gautam Gambhir-led Indian team management played Samson as an opener against Afghanistan despite Sooryavanshi delivering Player-of-the-Series performance in the previous T20I series in Zimbabwe.
During the Asiad on tricky Japan pitches, both Samson and Sooryavanshi feature in the playing XI, with the former dropping to No. 3 and the latter opening alongside Abhishek. However, Sooryavanshi was left out of the lineup once the team resumed bilateral action against the West Indies at home.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has represented India in 8 T20Is so far, scoring 246 runs at an average of 30.75 and a strike rate of 186.36, including two half-centuries.