Vaibhav Sooryavanshi replaced injured Ishan Kishan in India XI for the second T20I v New Zealand.
Former India keeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has supported Indian team management’s decision to slot teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi at no. 3 in the ongoing second T20I between India and New Zealand, being played on October 24, 2026, in Christchurch.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi replaced injured Ishan Kishan in the India XI and was slotted in at the No. 3 spot and not as an opener, where he has flourished for India and in the IPL. The Indian team management decided against breaking the opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, who had added 93 runs in powerplay overs in the first T20I.
India captain Shreyas Iyer said at the toss that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi would bat at No. 3 rather than in his usual opening position. This is the first time in the youngster's career that he will not open the innings. All 31 of his combined appearances in the IPL and international cricket have been as an opener.
The last time Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi played together during the Asian Games 2026 campaign, the former was moved to No. 3 while the two left-handers opened the innings.
Dinesh Karthik stated that the current opening pair of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma does not need to be separated simply to accommodate Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
"Here is a man who can adapt and adjust, and I am not surprised; that kid has got enormous talent. If he manages to do well in red-ball cricket and create an impact, I have no doubt he can play at No. 3. I think it is unfair on Sanju and Abhishek, who are actually blossoming into a very frightening pair. Why should you keep changing that to accommodate him? Vaibhav is good enough to bat at No. 3. Until you bat him at No. 3 and see what he can do, I don't think you should jump to conclusions about what he can do at No. 3," Dinesh Karthik said on Cricbuzz.
Karthik backed Sooryavanshi to do well with the bat at the No. 3 spot given his natural batting skills and ability to adapt to situations.
"He has got the talent to handle batting at No. 3. When I saw him play in the Duleep Trophy, the South Zone captain Tilak Varma set some very interesting fields for him. He set a long off, he set a sweeper, and he set a deep midwicket, but he had two slips and a gully. I wanted to see how Vaibhav does there, and he played so nicely. When they brought the field up, he smashed Siraj over the top," Dinesh Karthik said.
India won the toss and opted to bowl first in the second T20I, with Sooryavanshi replacing Ishan Kishan and Prince Yadav coming in for Mayank Yadav.