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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi must start' in ENG vs IND 1st T20I: Sunil Gavaskar's verdict after nightmare Ireland series originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Sunil Gavaskar demands Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's start for the England series after the 2-0 Ireland series loss.
- The India legend suggested how the team can fit in the 15-year-old while keeping the likes of Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan in the team.
- India suffered its first-ever series defeat to Ireland, losing both T20Is.
Suil Gavaskar demands Vaibhav Sooryavanshi must start in England series
Sunil Gavaskar has insisted on handing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi his T20I debut right in the opening match against England, which comes shortly after India suffered their first-ever series loss to Ireland.
Under new captain Shreyas Iyer, a side packed with fresh faces lost both matches against the hosts, with the second defeat arriving by the narrowest of margins, just one run.
Sooryavanshi's rise to prominence has been hard to ignore, having claimed the Orange Cap with 776 runs in the IPL before following it up with an outstanding showing for India A in the recent tri-nation series. That form earned him a maiden senior call-up at just 15 years old, and many expected him to walk straight into the XI.
Instead, the team management opted to persist with the established opening combination of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson at the top of the order. While Abhishek had managed a half-century in the series opener, both he and Samson fell for first-ball ducks in the second match. That outcome only strengthened Gavaskar's argument after the series defeat.
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Gavaskar's blunt message: Play Vaibhav Sooryavanshi now
Speaking to Aajtak, Gavaskar insisted that Sooryavanshi simply has to feature when India begin their five-match series against England on July 1, even if it means tweaking the batting order to accommodate him.
He said: "I've been saying this for a month, that in these two matches against Ireland, given Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's form, he could have been played in both games. Because in one match, you could have opened with Abhishek Sharma and Sooryavanshi, and in the second match, you could have dropped Abhishek or moved him down the order to bring in Samson. You could have done that. But it didn't happen."
MORE: Has Ireland ever won a T20I series?
Gavaskar acknowledged there was never any guarantee Sooryavanshi would have turned either match around, conceding he could just as easily have been dismissed cheaply. However, he stressed that the real issue was India missing a golden chance to experiment with young talent when the situation called for exactly that.
"You are absolutely right; it's not guaranteed that if Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had played, he would have won the match for us," he said.
"Who knows, maybe he would have gotten out after scoring 8, 10, or 15 runs. But if you wanted to try out young players, these two matches were the biggest and best opportunity for you to do so."
Who makes way for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi?
According to Gavaskar, the most logical solution involves dropping whichever out-of-form batter currently occupies the middle order, rather than disturbing Samson, who has been in excellent touch throughout 2026.
Samson followed three match-winning knocks at the T20 World Cup, including two scores in the 90s, with a pair of centuries for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. That points squarely at Abhishek Sharma as the man most likely to be left out.
MORE: Has an India captain ever lost their first T20I series?
"No, he has to be played in the very first match. It's simple. The out-of-form batsmen you have, keep them out, and play Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. That's it. Absolutely," he asserted.
"Either you have him open with your regular openers, play him at one or two, or play him at number three. But you have to play Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the first match against England on July 1st."
Gavaskar proposed a clear structure going forward. He suggested that India could slot Sooryavanshi in at number three, push Ishan Kishan to four, and have Shreyas Iyer follow at five.
"If you need to accommodate him, I think you should drop whoever hasn't been scoring runs in the middle order and play Vaibhav Sooryavanshi at number three," Gavaksar said.
MORE: After 'ball of the IPL' to Kohli, Prince picks wicket on India T20I debut against Ireland
He argued that fielding the teenager could genuinely unsettle England, especially given the hosts' potential overconfidence after watching Ireland topple the world champions.
"Yes, it's possible he might get out quickly in the first match. That can happen. But if he performs in the first match, England will be shaken," he said.
"Now, England might be a little overconfident because Ireland beat India, so the English team might have some overconfidence. And just as Ireland took advantage of India's overconfidence, the Indian team can take advantage of England's overconfidence, and for that, Sooryavanshi must play."
After India's shock series defeat to Ireland, in Iyer's first series as skipper, the back-to-back T20 World Cup champions may have to make a drastic change and Sooryavanshi could be their answer.
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