Vaibhav Sooryavanshi omitted for fourth T20I as Ishan Kishan returns
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was left out of India's playing XI for the fourth T20I against New Zealand at Eden Park in Auckland on Friday, with Ishan Kishan recalled after recovering from a groin injury. Captain Shreyas Iyer confirmed the change after winning the toss and opting to bowl.
The decision ended a brief run for the 15-year-old and came two days after Sooryavanshi and Abhishek Sharma combined for a record powerplay in the third T20I in Wellington. The opening pair amassed 118 runs in the first six overs while chasing 199, setting a world record for the highest powerplay total in men's T20Is. India completed that chase in 13.2 overs to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series.
In Wellington, Sooryavanshi scored 45 off 19 balls and Abhishek Sharma struck 113 off 38 deliveries as India chased down 199. That innings produced one of the most aggressive powerplays in men's T20 internationals and preceded the team reverting to its preferred top three of Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan for the fourth match.
Former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming backed India’s selection move and addressed Sooryavanshi’s omission. "His time will come, he will be that person, that incumbent," Fleming told Sony Sports of Sooryavanshi.
Fleming expanded on the selection message in the same interview: "But I think it's a great message because it's a really inconsistent game. You're asking players to go out there and play at a really high level of skill and risk, and if they feel that they're compromised and they start double-guessing because their place is under threat, then they don't have that freedom to go out and play right on the edge of their skill level, right on the edge of the limits." He also attributed India’s fearless batting to a sense of security and belonging created by the coaching group and said the team’s cohesion had allowed players to keep pushing the boundaries of the game.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir had offered a similar rationale after the Afghanistan T20I series, saying Sooryavanshi would have to wait while established performers remained ahead. "We know the kind of talent he has. We know what he can do. But again, someone who has done extremely well over a period of years will always be ahead of someone who has just got into the team. Whenever he gets that chance, you will get a longer run as well," Gambhir said, and added: "We want to create that security in that dressing room," explaining the reluctance to disrupt a successful combination.
Shreyas Iyer had echoed those points before the New Zealand series, stressing Sooryavanshi has time to establish himself. "It's important that a talent like him should always be happy around the dressing room. He is very young, he has more years to get opportunities. It's not like he can walk in right now, because our openers are scoring consistently, and they have won the World Cup," Iyer said. Sooryavanshi featured in only two matches on the New Zealand tour after being overlooked throughout the preceding five-match T20I series against the West Indies and spending the Afghanistan series on the sidelines despite strong form on the Zimbabwe tour.
India’s victory in Wellington left the tourists with an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series, and the fourth T20I at Eden Park proceeded with Kishan fit to return and the preferred top three restored.
