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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi batting position revealed by Shreyas Iyer for IND vs NZ 2nd T20I (Source: AFP)
India and New Zealand are facing each other in the second T20I of the five-match series at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on October 24. After winning the first match by four wickets, India will look to continue their winning run and take a 2-0 lead in the series.
India won the opening game by 4 wickets on Thursday while chasing a target of 226 runs. The visitors reached the target in 19.4 overs.
For the IND vs NZ 2nd T20I, Shreyas Iyer-led India have made two changes to their playing XI after winning the toss.
Ishan Kishan has been ruled out due to injury, while Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been included in the team. Prince Yadav has also replaced Mayank Yadav as a tactical change.
Shreyas Iyer Confirms Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s Batting Position For 2nd T20I
Before the IND vs NZ 2nd T20I, fans were eager to know where Vaibhav Sooryavanshi would bat if he got a place in India’s playing XI.
Many were wondering whether the young batter would open the innings or play in the middle order.
India captain Shreyas Iyer answered the question during the IND vs NZ 2nd T20I toss. After winning the toss, Iyer decided to bowl first, citing the possibility of dew as one of the main reasons behind the decision.
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While announcing the team changes, Shreyas Iyer confirmed that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi would bat at number three.
This means Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will not open the innings and will instead come in after the opening pair of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma.
"We're going to bowl first. Dew is one of the reasons. It's been good, some time to recover and catch up on sleep. Everyone is in good shape and space. It's important to maintain aggression, but we need to be proactive and ensure we don't need an extra fielder inside. Two changes: Ishan is injured, Vaibhav is in and he'll bat at 3. Prince is in place of Mayank - a tactical change." Shreyas Iyer said.
India (Playing XI) – Sanju Samson (WK), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Tilak Varma, Shreyas Iyer (C), Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, and Prince Yadav.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's Numbers At no.3
It is important to note that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has not played at the no. 3 position for India in T20Is or for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.
However, the stylish batter once played at no. 3 in the Youth ODIs in 2025; in that match, he scored 20 runs at a strike rate of 142.85.
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.jpg?type=mq "Ishan Kishan Ruled Out Of 3rd T20I")
