15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has got the backing of seniors in the Indian dressing room. Fresh off the success in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, Sooryavanshi is yet to showcase his best in his T20I career. After setbacks in England, he scored a blazing fifty against Zimbabwe in the first T20I. He got out early in the second T20I of the series where Ishan Kishan went on to score a 44-ball 81. After India’s 90-run win in the second T20I to take an unassailable 2-0 lead, Kishan revealed what he, opener Abhishek Sharma and all-rounder Axar Patel keep telling the youngster. They want the young opener to shun the outside noise and focus on the game.
"Vaibhav is actually very smart. He knows what he is doing," Kishan said in the post-match press conference.
"He knows how he has to bat and how he has to carry himself on and off the field. When you represent India, you have to know what to focus on.
"Me, Abhishek, Axar bhai and many others keep telling him to think about cricket, not social media or outside noise."
Kishan wants Sooryavanshi to not get distracted for the wrong reasons. He does not want the Indian opener to make the same mistakes he committed at the start of his career. He also pointed out how Sooryavanshi can take the game away from the opposition early on in the innings, using the powerplay overs to the fullest.
Abhishek falls cheaply, will Prabhsimran makes his debut?
In the second T20I, Abhishek departed early again. Sooryavanshi hit Richard Ngarava for three sixes and a four before he miscued a short delivery to mid-on fielder Blessing Muzarabani. It will be interesting to see whether Sooryavanshi plays in the third T20I or Prabhsimran Singh makes his T20I debut. Prabhsimran can come in for Abhishek too but the opener made an impact with his left-arm spin, taking three wickets in the second T20I.
After the T20I series against Zimbabwe concludes on July 26, the Shreyas Iyer-led T20I team won’t be in action until the Japan Asian Games 2026. With series in the bag, Iyer has already hinted at making changes for the dead rubber.