Ex-India coach Abhishek Nayar: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi should only play the Bengaluru decider as an opener
Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar said he would like to see Vaibhav Sooryavanshi play in India’s fifth T20I against West Indies at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday, but insisted India should not alter their batting order to accommodate the teenager. With the series locked at 2-2 after India lost the fourth T20I by 24 runs in Hyderabad, Nayar favours changes in the bowling unit rather than at the top of the order.
Speaking on JioHotstar, Nayar argued Sooryavanshi must be used in his natural role if selected and warned against moving established batters out of position. “I am very tempted. Are you going to play Vaibhav Suryavanshi out of position? I wouldn't want to see that. If Vaibhav Suryavanshi plays, he should play at his strongest position, which is opening,” Nayar said. “If he opens, the one who is playing at No. 3 should play at his strongest position. No matter how much I am tempted, and I want to see Vaibhav Suryavanshi, that too in Bengaluru, I would make changes in bowling and not at all in batting,” he added.
India’s current opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson have produced mixed returns across the series, keeping the selection debate alive. Abhishek has compiled 139 runs, including a 69 off 30 in Indore, while Samson has accumulated 152 runs with innings of 82 off 41 in Ranchi and 56 off 23 in Hyderabad.
Sooryavanshi is already a capped international despite his youth; the 15-year-old made his senior India debut against England in Manchester on July 4, scoring 14 off 10 balls with two sixes. He featured in all three T20Is on that England trip, scoring 13 and 15 in the subsequent matches.
He enjoyed a stronger return on India’s tour of Zimbabwe in July, striking 50 off 19 in the first T20I, 20 off nine in the second and 81 off 49 in the third, finishing that series with 151 runs and the Player of the Series award. Overall in T20 internationals, Sooryavanshi has 246 runs in eight matches at a strike rate of 186.36, including two half-centuries and a top score of 81.
Sooryavanshi’s recent appearances have been intermittent: he did not play in India’s three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, then featured at the Asian Games with scores of 38 off 21 against Sri Lanka and 15 off nine against Pakistan, and has been on the bench during the current West Indies series. Bowling coach Morne Morkel urged the youngster to use time around senior players to continue developing. “We all know that the talent of Vaibhav, I think the more time he spends in this environment with the quality players, the more time he trains at this standard will only be great for his cricket,” Morkel said.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir has emphasised the difficulty of dropping an established batter to accommodate Sooryavanshi, saying selection is driven by the combination India believe gives them the best chance of winning. India’s bowling was exposed in Hyderabad when West Indies posted 247/3 before winning by 24 runs, a result that Nayar and others say makes the bowling unit a more urgent area for change than the top-order.
Team management must decide before Saturday’s series decider at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium whether to persist with the current opening pair or give Sooryavanshi another opportunity, with Nayar clear that the teenager should only be considered if he will open.
