It is very rare that an opposition has plans in place for a player who is unlikely to feature in the playing eleven. India captain Shreyas Iyer has confirmed that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will learn from the bench as current openers – Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma – will be preferred over him. But Sooryavanshi’s impact is such that the opposition does not want to take any chances in their preparations. Despite Sooryavanshi getting the backup opener role, former India wicketkeeper-batter and current Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) mentor and batting coach Dinesh Karthik wants the 15-year-old to stay in New Zealand, ruling out the idea that he should return to play Ranji Trophy 2026-27.
“If players not playing feel it's better to play domestic cricket instead of warming the bench, there will only be 11 touring always. So that’s not going to happen. If you say Vaibhav shouldn’t be there when he’s not part of the 11 because he’s extra special, then what about the other five players? Why aren’t they so good that they can’t be sent home to play domestic cricket? There is no end to it,” Karthik said on Cricbuzz.
“I understand some feeling—it doesn’t help Vaibhav’s growth just watching from the sidelines. But being part of a cricket team means that when only 11 can play, this happens. Hopefully, an honest conversation has happened with Vaibhav," he added.
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Sooryavanshi did not get a chance in the entire five-T20I series against West Indies either. He last played in the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 semifinal and the final games. In an attempt to lengthen India’s batting, Sooryavanshi opened, and Samson was pushed to no.3. He contributed with cameos against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
Sooryavanshi played red-ball cricket before T20Is vs West Indies
Before the West Indies T20I series, Sooryavanshi had played three first-class games. He was part of Ishan Kishan-led East Zone's Duleep Trophy 2026-winning squad. After a single-digit score in the quarter-final against Northeast Zone, he played a game-changing knock of 81-ball 92 in the first innings. He followed it up with a 40-run knock in the run chase. In the final against Tilak Varma-led South Zone, he registered scores of 44 and 8.
Sooryavanshi has been backed to play all formats for India. Even the legendary Sachin Tendulkar has expressed his desire for Sooryavanshi to don the whites. But his ascension to Test cricket may take a few years. Currently, he is in scheme of things for T20Is only. Yashasvi Jaiswal, who faces a Sooryavanshi-like snub in ODIs, has made the opening spot his own alongside KL Rahul. A spot will only open up once Rohit Sharma retires from ODIs.
He has played 11 first-class games so far and scored 399 runs from 17 innings at an average of 23.47 and a strike rate of 96.61. He is yet to score his maiden first-class century. Two fifties have come his way.
What Iyer said on Sooryavanshi?
In the pre-match press conference, Iyer said that Sooryavanshi will learn from the bench. The learnings from the tour will come in handy on future tours, where he will also share his experience with the newcomers.
"It's important that a talent like him (Sooryavanshi) should always be happy around the dressing room," Iyer said
"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.
"So, if you see, when he is coming overseas, he will get a fair idea how to play on these particular wickets.
"Next time, whenever he comes in these conditions, he will be very well-prepared. And he can also instruct the other team members, whoever comes here for the first time."
Earlier, head coach Gautam Gambhir had also revealed that he has had an honest communication with Sooryavanshi making him understand that he will have to wait for his opportunities.
How did Indian openers perform in T20I series opener?
Chasing a target of 226 at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, the openers got India off to a blazing start. In the third over, Samson smashed Lockie Ferguson all around the park. Then, Abhishek went berserk, hitting Adam Milne for two sixes and two fours in the fourth over. In the sixth over, Samson reached his half-century from just 23 balls. But in the same over, Abhishek lost his wicket to off-spinner Michael Bracewell for a 12-ball 29 including a couple of fours and three sixes.
Abhishek and Samson shared a 93-run stand from 35 balls, setting a platform for the chase. Samson was dismissed by Santner for a 33-ball 67. His knock was laced with eight fours and four sixes. When the wicketkeeper-batter departed, India were 115/2 in nine overs of the run chase.
Record win for India
India pulled off the highest run chase at Hagley Oval, Christchurch. It is also the second-highest T20I run chase on New Zealand soil.
Interestingly, Tilak Varma was sent to bat at no.3. Varma struggled and managed to score just six runs from 11 balls. Batting out of position, Ishan Kishan was dismissed cheaply too.
Skipper Iyer and Axar Patel got the run chase back on track. Axar contributed with a 14-ball 24 cameo. Iyer batted till the penultimate over, scoring 42 runs from 28 balls. In the slog overs, Naman Dhir powered India to a record-breaking win. Dhir scored 42 runs from 15 balls, including five fours and two sixes.
India have taken a 1-0 lead in the five-T20I series. The second T20I of the series will be played at the same venue on October 24.
India vs New Zealand T20I squads:
India: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Shivam Dube, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
New Zealand: Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (wk), Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Josh Clarkson, Jacob Duffy, Bevon Jacobs, Adam Milne, Blair Tickner.