Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has claimed that in the coming six months, a star batter will be dropped from the India T20I XI to accommodate Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Sooryavanshi is with the Indian team in Japan for the Asian Games 2026.

According to Mohammad Kaif, the vice-captain of the India T20I team, Tilak Varma would most likely be replaced by Sooryavanshi. He also stated that one of the all-rounders, Shivam Dube, had been playing more like a batter and not like an all-rounder who can bowl. Kaif said that either of the two could have been dropped in the next six months.

"I understand that Tilak is the vice-captain. But vice-captains have also been dropped before. I do not want to go there. Shivam Dube is not scoring in every game and still has to prove himself. Fielding is also his weakness, and he is not a proper bowling all-rounder. He is only playing as a batter. After six months, either Tilak or Dube will be out. You will have to remove one, and Suryavanshi will play. I am saying this right now," Kaif said in a video on his YouTube channel.

Mohammad Kaif also talked about the Indian team’s combination for the Asian Games 2026 in Japan and stated that the Men in Blue would not need six bowlers if the conditions were similar to those in the one-off T20I. He said that in that case, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi can be accommodated in the Indian XI in place of Yash Thakur.

"If you make a team according to the conditions in the Asian Games, Suryavanshi can fit in. You can leave Yash Thakur out. He still has to prove himself. A deserving player is not getting a chance in the XI, and we are playing someone like Yash, who has to prove himself. He is playing over Suryavanshi because he is a bowler. There will not be flat or batting-friendly pitches. If the wickets are slow, you can leave Yash out. Sundar, Bishnoi, and Axar can bowl 12 overs. Arshdeep will bowl four. Bumrah is also there,” Kaif added.

Sooryavanshi, who was the Player of the Series in Zimbabwe T20Is, was benched for Afghanistan T20Is and wasn’t part of the India XI for the Japan T20I as well.

Kaif was also praiseful of Sooryavanshi’s approach and hunger and highlighted how the teenager scored runs in the recent Duleep Trophy and even bowled to add another dimension to his gameplay.

Kaif felt that with no batters in the top six being able to bowl as such, it would give Suryavanshi an edge to stake his claim.

"Sooryavanshi scored in the Duleep Trophy as well. He has improved his game. He was even bowling there. So, he has understood that if he can bowl a few overs, he will have an advantage. It is a good thing. This is the hunger that he wants to make his place in the XI, and he is seeing what he can do for it. I liked his mentality and approach. Looking at his overall development, you cannot keep him out for long," he said.

Kaif also talked about Sooryavanshi’s technique in red-ball cricket, as recently former England spinner Monty Panesar questioned if the 15-year-old could manage in Test cricket. Kaif shared the example of Virender Sehwag, who had a higher average in Tests, despite being more aggressive in white-ball cricket.

"The way Sehwag used to bat, everyone thought he was only a white-ball player. But he had an average of 50 in Tests. His average was lower in white-ball cricket. If he played all formats, Vaibhav would be just 15 right now. The sample size is very small. The debate over whether he can play all three formats right now is far-fetched," Mohammad Kaif argued.

Sooryavanshi has been doing everything he can to make a permanent spot for himself in the Indian XI across formats.