Vaibhav Sooryavanshi omitted from India XI for 2nd T20I in Ranchi

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is not in India's playing XI for the second T20I against West Indies at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi on October 9, 2026. West Indies won the toss and elected to field in the second T20I.

India opened the five-match T20I series with an 8-wicket victory in the first game, propelled by captain Shreyas Iyer's century across formats. Iyer slammed a 42-ball century to take India to victory and finished unbeaten on 102 off 43 balls, with 10 fours and 6 maximums as India reached the target of 172 runs in just 14.4 overs; the side will aim for a 2-0 lead in Ranchi.

India have made no changes to their playing XI for the second match, which means Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will sit out again after missing the first T20I. The unchanged selection confirms the management's current preference for the available top-order options.

India have gone with Sanju at the top, along with Abhishek Sharma. Sanju has been a little inconsistent since the T20 World Cup 2026, having played 11 innings since then and recorded only two half-centuries, which came against Afghanistan; his last four scores read 9, 7, 2, and 11.

The 15-year-old has been pretty effective in his little career, having played 8 innings and scored 246 runs at a strike rate of 186.36, including two half-centuries. The management wants to give Sanju more chances at the top of the order.

India are experimenting with several different fast bowlers across the series; Mayank Yadav already has game time and Prince Yadav is waiting in the wings. The team will look to win the second game in Ranchi.

A victory in the second T20I would put India 2-0 up in the five-match series, after which the side plans to test bench players in the playing XI in upcoming games.