Former cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra highlighted the intense competition in India's T20I top-order, noting that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is finding it hard to break into the team simply because established players like Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, and Ishan Kishan are already performing well.
Chopra acknowledged that while it is heartbreaking for a young talent to sit out, dropping in-form players is not feasible. As a solution, he suggested a rotation policy among the four players to ensure everyone gets opportunities without disrupting the squad's momentum.
"Vaibhav Sooryavanshi isn't getting chances because a place isn't being created for him. In whose place should you play him? To be fair, he can play only in place of Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, or Ishan Kishan," Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel.
"When three people are doing well, you can't get a chance suddenly. I know it is heartbreaking, but there is no other way. No one is agreeing with the method I am suggesting. You can do a rotation. Give chances to all four of them in rotation," he added.
Chopra also rejected the idea of dropping Tilak Varma to accommodate Sooryavanshi in India’s T20I playing XI. He argued that critics "shooting arrows" at Tilak are misdirecting their blame, considering how demanding and specialized the lower-middle order batting positions are.
"The World Cup didn't start well, but after that, ever since he became a finisher, he has done a good job, whether you see the performances in the Asian Games or now. The fact is that he has been doing really well in the middle order and the lower-middle order. So, I feel shooting arrows at Tilak Varma is not right," he remarked.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, 15, warmed the bench in the just-concluded five-T20I series against the West Indies at home, which ended in a 2-2 draw.
After handing the young prodigy his debut international cap on the tour of England in July, the Indian think tank has played musical chairs with the opening slot. While Abhishek is a regular fixture, Samson and Sooryavanshi compete for the other spot.
Ahead of the Asian Games 2026, the Gautam Gambhir-led Indian team management played Samson as an opener against Afghanistan despite Sooryavanshi delivering Player-of-the-Series performance in the previous T20I series in Zimbabwe.
During the Asiad on tricky Japan pitches, both Samson and Sooryavanshi feature in the playing XI, with the former dropping to No. 3 and the latter opening alongside Abhishek. However, the teenage prodigy was left out of the lineup once the team resumed bilateral action against the West Indies.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has represented India in 8 T20Is so far, scoring 246 runs at an average of 30.75 and a strike rate of 186.36, including two half-centuries.
