Will Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Make His India Debut vs England? Shreyas Iyer Breaks Silence

With Sanju Samson struggling in both matches of the Ireland series, the Indian team management may be tempted to give Vaibhav Sooryavanshi his maiden India cap against England in Durham. The 15-year-old did not get a chance during India's first-ever T20I series loss to Ireland. In the two matches, Samson managed to score 5 off 5, and Ishan Kishan got just 13 off 16.

If Sooryavanshi were to come in, it would be for one of them since they are top-order batters and wicketkeepers. Shreyas Iyer was asked about the lineup on the eve of the India vs England 1st T20I at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street. But India’s T20I captain didn’t want to reveal the combination, as the opposition would be able to plan against them.

“Our hands are tied. This is very private. We can’t let everyone know what combination we are going to play, as the opponents would also find out,” Shreyas told reporters in Durham.

Will Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Make His India Debut?

The 31-year-old, who returned to India's T20I side after a gap of 30 months, was once again asked about Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. While praising the teenage sensation, he insisted that players ahead of him in the pecking order also deserve a fair opportunity.

“Everyone currently playing in the team has performed well. It’s not just Vaibhav who has delivered performances. We want to provide every player with opportunities and a sense of security. He’s (Sooryavanshi) a brilliant prodigy, and whenever he gets an opportunity to play, he will perform brilliantly,” he added.

Speaking in Belfast, Shreyas said Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's chance would come in due course, highlighting the strong displays of Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, and Ishan Kishan at the 2026 T20 World Cup. With the trio firmly established, the selectors are unlikely to make room for the teenager unless Samson or Kishan continues to struggle.

“Unfortunately, no. He’s a gun player. But obviously, we’ve got tremendous experience in the squad who have done brilliantly in the past couple of series for India. So, we are backing the majority of our cricketers who have been doing absolutely marvellously. He will get his opportunity when the time comes,” Shreyas had said on June 26.

India’s squad for England T20I series: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Varma (vc), Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Prince Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Prasidh Krishna, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Arshdeep Singh, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Suryansh Shedge