“Justice For Sooryavanshi”: Fans React As Vaibhav Dropped From IND Vs ENG 5th T20I

Fans react to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi [Source: screengrab]

Indian captain Shreyas Iyer won his seventh toss in a row on this tour and opted to field first against England in the fifth T20I of the series in Southampton. At the toss, the cricketer also confirmed a couple of changes in the playing XI from the team that suffered a nine-wicket drubbing in Bristol earlier this week.

The biggest of those two changes was the return of blistering wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson, at an expense of young Vaibhav Sooryavanshi no less. Since Sooryavanshi is yet to make the most of his three opportunities so far this series, the 15-year-old received much support from Indian cricket fans after losing his place in the XI.

However, certain fans also trolled the youngster and welcomed the return of India’s T20 World Cup 2026 hero Sanju Samson.

Fans react as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi dropped from team after three failures

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was selected in Team India squad for the T20I tours of Ireland and England in wake of his IPL 2026 riches for the Rajasthan Royals. While the 15-year-old failed to find a place in the Indian playing XI in Ireland, the left-handed opener became the youngest Indian player in history to play international cricket when he received his debut cap in Manchester last week.

Also Read- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Schooled By Gautam Gambhir After 3rd Straight Failure In England

However, the explosive opener is yet to make full use of his three opportunities in the national XI so far, and he was eventually dropped from the group for the final T20I of the tour against England in Southampton on Saturday, July 11.

Several fans took note of Sooryavanshi’s exclusion and consoled the youngster for his misfortune. However, certain fans also expressed their excitement over the return of Sanju Samson, whom many believed was unjustly removed from the team. Here is a look at how some of the fans reacted to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi getting dropped from fifth T20I.

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So, they selected Vaibhav Suryavanshi at cost of their POTT player Sanju Samson, given him 3 games & destroyed his confidence too. Now, Vaibhav Suryavanshi is dropped now. Just look at Vaibhav, how destroyed he is. If some sane people were running Indian cricket then Vaibhav

Jul 11, 2026, 7:20 PM

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@mufaddal_vohra Indian team seems confusing team ...there playing eleven also confusing....after sky era...this gg-iyer era looks so much confusing

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@mufaddal_vohra Dropped? Just after 3 matches what about tilak ? Sundar ?

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@mufaddal_vohra A good decision vaibhav suryavanshi needs some work on his gameplay Sanju samson 🔥

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@CricCrazyJohns Justice for Vaibhav Suryavanshi

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@CricCrazyJohns A tough call for Vaibhav, but that's how international cricket works. Sanju now has a golden opportunity to cement his place, while Vaibhav's time will come if he keeps performing consistently. 🇮🇳👏

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I see nothing but the next Prithvi Shaw in Vaibhav Sooryavanshi right now. 💔🥺

Jul 11, 2026, 7:25 PM

Why was Vaibhav Sooryavanshi dropped from 5th T20I

While captain Shreyas Iyer did not specify the exact reason behind Sooryavanshi’s exclusion, one can assume that the youngster was dropped owing to his lackluster beginnings.

Having made his international debut in Manchester last week, the 15-year-old has registered scores of just 14, 13 and 15 in his three innings so far to aggregate 42 runs at a dismal average of 14. Moreover, the cricketer has been bested twice by none other than his Rajasthan Royals teammate and English paceman Jofra Archer in the series.

More to follow...