How Can India Ensure Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's Debut Without Dropping Samson, Abhishek?

Analysing how Sooryavanshi can play in India's playing XI [Source: AFP]

Three matches into the UK tour (Ireland, England), the Indian team has yet to play its biggest trump card, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. After an unreal IPL 2026 season, where the Indian teenager smashed 776 runs in just 16 games, the BCCI selection panel immediately drafted him into the T20I squad, but so far, the fans have not had a taste of his first international game.

He was expected to make his India debut in the Ireland series, but the Gautam Gambhir-led management decided to ignore him as Sanju Samson was given preference over him.

Despite Samson not at his best, the management has been reluctant to include the teenager in their playing XI, and this has hampered his confidence as Sooryavanshi continues to warm the bench on the UK tour.

Why Sooryavanshi should be picked in India's playing XI

776 runs in the IPL 2026 season, with a strike rate of 237, and a brilliant century in the tournament, Sooryavanshi is not just any teenager, but he is a bomb ready to explode on the opposition bowling attack.

Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mitchell Starc, Kagiso Rabada, these are some of the world-class bowlers Sooryavanshi took to the cleaners in the IPL, and it showcased that the 15-year-old is ready to play at the international level.

The left-handed batter has the ability to take the game away in the blink of an eye, and that ability is only possessed by Abhishek Sharma in this Indian side. Even Sanju Samson, who was the Player of the Tournament in the T20 World Cup, doesn’t possess the ability.

Sooryavanshi is India’s biggest X-factor, and what’s the point of selecting your biggest trump card if he has to warm the bench for the entire tour?

Sooryavanshi ignored for Sanju Samson as India shows stubbornness

Yes, Sanju Samson was the Player of the Tournament in the T20 World Cup, but his struggle against moving deliveries has been evident in the last three games. Jai Moondra exposed his weakness against seaming deliveries in the Ireland T20Is, and then he struggled to score runs against England in the first T20I of the series on Wednesday.

Also Read: Ravi Shastri Takes Gautam Gambhir To The Cleaners For Ignoring Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

Sanju Samson in Last 3 Innings (After Winning P.O.T in T20WC)

5 (4) - Vs Ireland

0 (1) - Vs Ireland

1 (7) - Vs England

In the last three innings on challenging conditions, Samson has failed to deliver the goods and has only accumulated 6 runs in 12 balls, with a strike rate of 50.

Despite repeated failures, Samson has been preferred by Gambhir, and Sooryavanshi has been neglected. Abhishek has two fifties in the last three innings for India, and he has to be picked in the playing XI no matter who else opens with him.

Analysing how Sooryavanshi can play with Samson, Abhishek also in the playing XI

Judging by how things have gone in recent games, Samson is likely to get the entire England tour to justify his place. However, one cannot ignore Sooryavanshi’s talent, as the prodigy has to play against England.

With Abhishek, Samson undroppable, and Sooryavanshi in red-hot demand, India only has one option left: drop Tilak Varma from the playing XI.

(Tilak Varma T20I stats at number 5)

• For some reason, Tilak Varma was demoted to number 5 in the T20Is, and he was never the same batter after that. At his usual number 3 position, Tilak had slammed two centuries, with a strike rate of 151.
• However, at number 5, his intent has dropped, and so has the strike rate. The batter has played nine innings, and has 224 runs under his name, with a strike rate of just 130.
• In the IND Vs ENG 1st T20I, the platform was set for Tilak to explode at number 5, but he failed and scored 13 off 13 with a strike rate of 100.

Drop Tilak, play Samson at 5 to incorporate Sooryavanshi

If Samson cannot be dropped, then India must take the bold call to drop Tilak from the playing XI. In such a scenario, the Kerala batter could be pushed down to number 5, a position where he did well in the Asia Cup.

Samson has scored 138 runs at number 5, and unlike Tilak, the Indian right-handed batter won’t find it difficult to change gears. Also, currently, there are too many lefties in the playing XI (Tilak, Dube, Axar), but with Samson’s inclusion, that monotony would break.

This would be a win-win situation as Sooryavanshi would be able to break through and play at the top alongside Abhishek, and Samson wouldn’t have to face the new ball; thus his weakness won’t be exploited.

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