Published on: Jun 30, 2026 2:29 pm IST|Updated on: Jun 30, 2026 2:38 pm IST
Whole India is buzzing with one simple question: will Vaibhav Sooryavanshi play the first ENG vs IND T20I at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street? After India’s shambolic defeat at the hands of Ireland in the two-match series by 0-2, social media has been buzzing around if Vaibhav will get a chance to make his India debut in the first of the five T20Is against England.
In the midst of this debate, legendary Indian batter Sunil Gavaskar has shared valuable insights regarding 15-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Gavaskar is strongly advocating for the young prodigy to make his international debut in the series opener, emphasizing that a major change in intent is exactly what India needs.
The legendary Sunil Gavaskar has put his weight on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to start in the first T20I vs England at Chester-le-Street.
“I’m hoping he plays the first game because it will be the start of a new series and he gets the team off to a flying start. It’s the best way to recover from the series loss against Ireland,” Gavaskar told reporters in an interaction organised by Sony Sports.“How they fit him in is going to be a real tough one because both Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson have done exceedingly well. You don’t want to break a partnership which has given you good results,” he added.
“I’m hoping he plays the first game because it will be the start of a new series and he gets the team off to a flying start. It’s the best way to recover from the series loss against Ireland,” Gavaskar told reporters in an interaction organised by Sony Sports.
“How they fit him in is going to be a real tough one because both Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson have done exceedingly well. You don’t want to break a partnership which has given you good results,” he added.
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Gavaskar emphasized the fact that the young prodigy didn’t get a game in Ireland, and if he plays against England, the hosts won’t know what to expect from the 15-year-old dasher. Vaibhav has thoroughly impressed during the IPL and India’s A tours, along with the under-19 tournaments.
“If I might say, more than a tactical (but) from a temperament point of view, because England doesn’t know what to expect. Some of them would have watched the Ireland matches and got some idea how to bowl to some of the Indian batters. But Sooryavanshi was not played, so nobody has seen him. All that they have seen of him are his videos of his IPL performances. So (if) he gets going, he can take the game away and that is what India needs at this particular point of time, after this loss, for somebody to make an impact straight away,” the former India captain said.
Gavaskar also praised the likes of Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan for being with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and chatting with him about the game so that the youngster feels positive and motivated even if he sits out.
“We are seeing the senior players speaking with him in the dugout, which is a very good thing. Abhishek Sharma is his competitor as a left-handed batter, but the way he speaks about him, and the way Ishan Kishan speaks to him, it is a very encouraging sign. They know he is a kid who has perhaps more than 20 years of cricket ahead. They are guiding him.” Gavaskar said.
With Sanju Samson failing in both innings against Ireland, Sooryavanshi’s only chance to play in the eleven could be possible if Sanju sits out. However, in case India opts to play a special batter in place of Gautam Gambhir’s personal favorite, Washington Sundar, who rarely bowls nowadays in white-ball cricket, Sooryavanshi can grab his opportunity and partner with either Samson or Abhishek at the top.
Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson/Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (WK), Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna/Prince Yadav