India should select 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for NZ v IND fifth T20I at Hamilton

India will face New Zealand in the fifth and final T20I at Seddon Park, Hamilton, on November 1, with India holding an unassailable 3-1 series lead and able to experiment with their playing XI.

One selection option under consideration is bringing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi back into the side in place of Sanju Samson; the 15-year-old has appeared twice in the series and produced a notable performance in the third T20I that argues for another chance.

Sooryavanshi struck 45 off just 19 deliveries in the third T20I in Wellington, hitting four boundaries and four sixes and attacking the New Zealand bowlers from the beginning.

His opening partnership with Abhishek Sharma produced 133 runs in just 43 deliveries, including a record-breaking 118 runs in the powerplay, which became the highest powerplay score in men’s T20I history and surpassed the previous record of 116; that stand helped India chase 199 in just 13.2 overs.

Sanju Samson’s returns across the series have been 67, 14, 18 and 4; after his opening-match half-century he has managed only 36 runs in his last three outings and was dismissed for four in the fourth T20I against New Zealand.

With Ishan Kishan also available as a wicketkeeping option, India could use the final match to hand Sooryavanshi another opportunity at the top of the order and potentially recreate the explosive opening combination with Abhishek Sharma.

The squad need not exclude Sooryavanshi on account of his age: being 15 does not prevent him from contributing now, and regular chances could allow him to build on his current confidence and attacking rhythm.

With the series already decided, the Hamilton T20I offers an ideal opportunity to test the young opener again and extend the momentum India saw from his recent performances.