Sooryavanshi played two T20Is in the ongoing series against New Zealand.
Indian team head coach Gautam Gambhir stated that talent that has given results for a long period of time should be given preference, and he was there to take ‘right decisions, not popular ones.'
This comes after teenage star Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was benched by India for the last two T20Is, despite India leading the series 3-1. The final T20I is scheduled in Hamilton on November 1, 2026.
The choice of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been debatable throughout this season and, in fact, for a long time. Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma have been given more time at the top, while Sooryavanshi has only gotten chances in the event of injuries or form dips.
Sooryavanshi has played in two games in this series, scoring four runs (at number three) and a 19-ball 45 while opening the innings.
Sooryavanshi has played in ten T20Is since making his debut for India against England at the age of 15. He has amassed 295 runs at an average of 29.50, a strike rate of over 185, and two fifties.
Speaking ahead of the match, Gambhir said on managing the team and keeping everyone happy, "First of all, my job is not to make everyone happy. My job is to take the right decisions, not the popular decisions. And that is what I am there for. I think today, with so much social media and all that chatter, it's easy to go with the popular decision. But for me, I think the important thing is to take the right decision and make sure that there is a lot of security inside the dressing room."
"Because, as you just mentioned, there is a lot of talent. But again, I think guys have done phenomenally well over a longer period of time. Obviously deserves a longer rope. And that is precisely how we approach the series," he added.
New Zealand won the toss in the fifth T20I and has opted to bowl first in Hamilton. India made two changes, bringing in Varun Chakaravarthy and Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the playing XI.
(ANI inputs)