Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to get India debut in Belfast T20I? Batting coach breaks silence

India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will get his chance when the time is right, insisting the team will not drop an in-form player just to hand the 15-year-old his debut.

In Short

• Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's debut not guaranteed in Belfast T20I
• India won't risk team combination to give him a debut
• The 15-year-old is expected to transition fairly quickly

The anticipation around Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's India debut continues to grow, but the Indian team management is in no mood to rush the 15-year-old into the playing XI. Ahead of the first T20I against Ireland in Belfast, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said the teenage sensation would get his opportunity when the time was right, insisting India would not drop an in-form player merely to fast-track his debut. Kotak added that head coach Gautam Gambhir and newly-appointed captain Shreyas Iyer would take the final call on the playing XI.

If picked, Sooryavanshi will become the youngest cricketer to make his international debut for India across both the men's and women's teams, adding another layer of intrigue to Thursday's team selection. The Bihar batter has emerged as one of India's brightest young prospects after a sensational Indian Premier League campaign, making his potential debut one of the biggest talking points ahead of the Belfast clash.

Kotak was inevitably quizzed about Sooryavanshi during the pre-match press conference, but while he acknowledged the teenager's extraordinary talent, he stressed that the management's priority remained selecting the best possible XI rather than making an emotional decision.

"Vaibhav is very talented, there is no doubt. And the way he has batted in the IPL and all the other games, there is no need to say that he has got a lot of natural abilities. In the IPL, he has faced Jofra (Archer) and a lot of quick, experienced bowlers, and it seems that nothing is bothering him. So he is obviously an extraordinary talent," Kotak said.

However, Kotak maintained that talent alone would not guarantee an immediate debut, reiterating that the captain and head coach would decide the playing XI based on the team's requirements.

"Today evening, the captain and head coach will decide about the team. And if he plays, great. If he doesn't play, that is also great because he is part of the Indian team. And I am sure that he will get his dues and his opportunities. So I don't think that just to give him an opportunity, we should drop someone who has already been scoring runs," Kotak said.

The batting coach added that the management wanted to avoid being unfair to a player who had already cemented his place in the side, saying there was "a very thin line between trying to give somebody an opportunity and being unfair to some other player."

NO SPECIAL TREATMENT

While Sooryavanshi's age has made him one of the biggest talking points ahead of the Ireland series, Kotak insisted the teenager would not receive any special treatment from the team management. Instead, the batting coach said the focus was on ensuring the youngster felt at home in the dressing room and enjoyed the experience of being around the senior side.

Kotak also credited the BCCI's pathway system, saying players graduating through the Under-19 and India A setup are already familiar with the culture of the national team, making the transition much smoother.

"I feel that at this level, the maturity, decision-making and intent of those who perform at this level will always be good. More than that, as long as he feels that he is part of the team, he can behave as freely as he does in any other team. That is good enough.

"And thanks to the BCCI system, the boys who come from Under-19 and India A more or less understand the culture of the Indian team. So it is not that there is a lot of difference for him. We were just telling him to enjoy it.

"If he wants to ask something or share something, he should do it. Gautam was saying the same thing to him. Just feel like you are playing for your own team and express yourself freely," Kotak said.

Whether Sooryavanshi makes his much-anticipated debut against Ireland will only be known when India unveil their playing XI. If picked, the 15-year-old will script history as India's youngest international debutant across both the men's and women's teams. If not, Kotak's message was clear: the teenager's time will come, but only when the team believes the moment is right.

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