India left 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi out of the first T20I against Ireland in Belfast. Shreyas Iyer said senior World Cup winners were backed, a call Sanjay Manjrekar hailed as merit-based.

IND vs IRE Live Score, India vs Ireland T20 Series 2026 Today 1st Match Live Cricket Score Updates: Harshit Rana was the pick of the bowlers with 3/24 for India in four overs against Ireland on Friday at Belfast

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.