Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was benched for the Afghanistan and West Indies T20Is at home.
Sooryavanshi’s last outing for India came in the Asian Games 2026, while he was the Player of the Series in the series against Zimbabwe a few months ago. Since then, he has been benched for the Afghanistan and West Indies T20I series at home.
After he was benched for the first T20I between New Zealand and India, questions arise about whether Sooryavanshi would be better off playing in the Ranji Trophy 2026-27 instead of wasting time sitting on the bench, waiting for his chance.
However, Dinesh Karthik, ex-India keeper-batter, has opposed the idea of sending Sooryavanshi to play domestic cricket, as he believes that being part of the extended squad is a ‘legitimate’ position, as he could be required anytime if the top-three batters Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, and Ishan Kishan get injured.
“If players not playing feel it's better to play domestic cricket instead of warming the bench, there will only be 11 touring always. So that’s not going to happen. If you say Vaibhav shouldn’t be there when he’s not part of the 11 because he’s extra special, then what about the other five players? Why aren’t they so good that they can’t be sent home to play domestic cricket? There is no end to it,” Karthik said on Cricbuzz.
“I understand some feeling—it doesn’t help Vaibhav’s growth just watching from the sidelines. But being part of a cricket team means that when only 11 can play, this happens. Hopefully, an honest conversation has happened with Vaibhav," he added.
It seems like Sooryavanshi will only get a chance to play for India in the ongoing five-T20I series in New Zealand if India manages to pocket the series early on.