Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was named in India’s playing XI for the second T20I against New Zealand in Christchurch on Saturday. He came in for the injured Ishan Kishan.
Captain Shreyas Iyer confirmed at the toss Sooryavanshi will bat at three, meaning the opening combination of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma will remain undisturbed.
Its a contrast to the combination the team went with the Asian Games 2026, where Sooryavanshi and Abhishek opened while Samson batted at three.
Sooryavanshi will be seen in action with the bat in the second innings after India won the toss and chose to bowl.
Sooryavansh’s inclusion follows the team management’s clear mandate that the teenager would have to wait for his opportunity as long as first choice players were performing and available. However, Kishan’s injury altered the equation, paving the way to the playing XI for the youngster.
Sooryavanshi has played eight T20Is so far. He made his international debut against England on July 4. In his debut game, Sooryavanshi was dismissed for 14 off 10 balls. The 15-year-old struggled in English conditions, particularly against the pace of Jofra Archer, as he got out for sub-20 scores in his next two games too.
However, Sooryavanshi found his footing in the following three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, in which he scored two half-centuries in three games including a career-best 81.
Overall, Sooryavanshi has scored 246 runs in T20Is at a strike rate of 186.36.
Published on Oct 24, 2026
