Vaibhav Sooryavanshi managed just 42 runs in his first three T20Is for India.
Indian teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi may be a little nervous heading into the Zimbabwe T20I series following a lackluster start to his India T20I career, according to former cricketer Mohammad Kaif. Team India will play three T20Is against Zimbabwe in Harare from July 23-26.
After an incredible Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season with the Rajasthan Royals (RR), the young, explosive opener was fast-tracked into the senior T20I India squad. Sooryavanshi was benched for the Ireland T20Is but played three T20Is against England, taking Sanju Samson’s spot in the XI. However, he could make only 42 runs in those games.
Sooryavanshi will have more chances against Zimbabwe as Sanju Samson was rested for this tour but is under pressure to deliver and justify his place in international cricket.
"Vaibhav Sooryavanshi got the chance, but a big score did not come from his bat. He would also wish that he contributes to the team, because he is a class batter. It is a huge thing to win the Orange Cap in the IPL as a 15-year-old. Right now, he might be nervous. If he scores a 50-60 run knock, then he will shine. He is a great talent; there is no doubt about that at all," Mohammad Kaif said on Cricbuzz.
Sooryavanshi was troubled by his RR teammate Jofra Archer during the England T20Is, as he failed to get his quick starts, being rattled by short-pitch deliveries. However, Harare has been a happy place for Sooryavanshi, given that he had scored a scintillating 175 for India U19 against England in the final of the 2025 ICC U19 World Cup, helping his team win the title.
Mohammad Kaif also shared his opinion about India’s new T20I captain Shreyas Iyer, who has failed to win a single match and lost two consecutive T20I series recently. Kaif opined that instead of planning long-term with Shreyas Iyer, the focus should be on getting the first win on the board.
"Even before the India captaincy, Shreyas Iyer had a losing run in the second half of IPL 2026. Then he got the opportunity to lead India; before that, he was not even in the team. He came into the team as captain, and this has never happened before in Indian cricketing history.
Now, after losing against Ireland, where no one expected India to lose, and then after losing to England, the captain is the one who is under the most pressure. At least get off the mark; right now, we are not even able to start. We will run the marathon, but we are not even able to hit the 100-meter mark. So, that pressure will be there," Kaif added.
While things didn’t go well for Shreyas as captain, he had a decent series with the bat, scoring 218 runs in 5 games with 2 fifties and a best score of 80* at a strike rate of 157.97.