It just looked inevitable. Right from the start of the India vs England T20I series, the possibility of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi playing looked quite high, plus the questions from outside were only rising – as to when would the 15-year-old make his debut.. The day has finally come, in the 2nd IND vs ENG T20I at Old Trafford, Manchester. The southpaw was handed over his cap by VC Tilak Varma, while Sanju Samson was left out.
Sanju Samson left out of India vs England 2nd T20I
But there is a slight issue in the Kerala man being dropped. Performance-wise, there was only one way to go — since Sanju had scored only 6 runs in the last three innings; but from what bowling coach Morne Morkel had suggested on the eve of the match — he should have been persisted with.
The lanky coach had maintained, that the team needed to continue with the players who had delivered in the past. “I think we just need to respect the fact that we’ve got the number one batter, or we had our number one batter in T20 cricket, Abhishek Sharma. You know, Sanju was the player of the World Cup,” Morkel had said.
“He (Samson) had a great IPL. So, I think as a coaching staff, it’s only fair to show faith and back your players. Yes, there’s a young man knocking on the door and it’s exciting. But I reckon for not just those two players at the top, but for the rest of the group, it’s a good sign that we show that we back you guys,” he said.
Team management needs to decide their main opener
Now, with Sooryavanshi coming into the picture, the management needs to decide on a few things, sooner rather than later. We are into 2026, and just two years remain for the LA28 Olympics. Team India will most likely be there, by virtue of being the best-ranked team in Asia.. and who would be the opener along with Abhishek Sharma.
Prior to that, there is also the Asian Games 2026, where both Sooryavanshi and Sanju are there. And both team enough game time, to be able to deliver. As far as Sanju’s entire 2026 is concerned – despite failures in the last three innings — this happens to be one of his best years.
In 13 matches he has scored 373 runs, at an average of 31.08, and a strike-rate of 180. He has also scored three fifties. One must also remember his contribution in the T20 World Cup 2026 final vs NZ, where he went on to score 89 from 46, to hand India their third title.
Cricket
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi gives RR mate Jofra Archer a Bumrah, Cummins-like treatment on debut
