Vaibhav Soorayavanshi Debut, Team India Told To “Move On” From Star Opener
Should Vaibhav Sooryavanshi be given India debut in first T20I against Ireland? Opinions are divided.
The Indian team management has a big selection headache ahead of them as the T20I series against Ireland begins. While Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson have made the opening spot in the Indian team their own, the Gautam Gambhir-led team management has been asked to ‘move on’ from the southpaw in order to make space for the 15-year-old prodigy, Sooryavanshi. The message has come from none other than former India batter Mohammad Kaif, who has been quite vocal about the cricketing affairs in the Indian team over the last 2-3 years as a pundit.
Speaking about the selection dilemma in the Indian team ahead of the T20I series opener in Belfast on Friday, Kaif said that Sooryavanshi should be India’s ideal pick to partner Sanju Samson at the top of the batting order.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Kaif said in the video when asked if he is asking the Indian team to move on from the opening combination of Abhishek and Samson to make space for Sooryavanshi.
“They won the World Cup. I said, Suryakumar Yadav won the World Cup, and they moved on. Rohit Sharma won the Champions Trophy, and they moved on, right? So, you are looking ahead. You are looking at who can give us long-term service in the future, and if there is a better player available,” Kaif said.
The former India batter further added that there’s no better opener in the Indian squad at present than Sooryavanshi.
“Speaking of better… no one is playing better than Sooryavanshi at the moment. He is the Orange Cap winner, he is in magnificent form, he is going to break record after record – in fact, he already has, becoming the youngest player to do so. I mean, look at it, he is creating records. So, I feel that because you have set this benchmark, because the standard has been set this way, you have to play him,” Kaif asserted.
TIME TO MOVE ON FROM ABHISHEK SHARMA – MOHD KAIF
: “Abhishek Sharma & Sanju Samson have already had their chances. Now it’s time to look ahead. Vaibhav Suryavanshi is in outstanding form, winning the Orange Cap and breaking records.
– If India wants to play him, let… pic.twitter.com/w0DT2hmxsU
— Sam (@cricsam02) June 26, 2026
The cricketer-turned-pundit urged the management to demote Abhishek to the No. 3 spot and make Samson open with Sooryavanshi.
“To accommodate him, you will have to play Abhishek Sharma at number 3. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will open; he will play alongside Sanju Samson. Abhishek Sharma will have to come down to number 3 – there is no other alternative because you have a lot of left-handers in this team, in this Indian team. There is an abundance of lefties. We saw that in the World Cup,” Kaif concluded his point.
When India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak was asked about the Sooryavanshi dilemma, he said that though the Rajasthan Royals opener is in the form of his life, it wouldn’t be fair to drop in-form players in order to push his debut.
