BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla has defended the Indian team management’s handling of teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, backing them to hand the left-hander his international debut ‘when
the right opportunity arises’.
Sooryavanshi, 15, earned his maiden India call-up after a remarkable IPL 2026 campaign in which he scored 776 runs at a record-breaking strike rate of 237.30. However, he has yet to feature in the playing XI, remaining on the bench during the Ireland series and the rain-hit opening T20I against England, with the team backing the established top-three of Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan.
The team management has regularly said they don’t want to rejig a combination that won them the 2026 T20 World Cup, maintaining that Sooryavanshi needs to ‘bide his time’. But the stance has earned criticism for captain Shreyas Iyer and head coach Gautam Gambhir.
“We are also of the view that he is a very talented player, and he showcased that during the IPL. I have seen several comments against the team management and the coaches, but I want to make it very clear that the coach and captain will take the final decision. They are looking at the situation, and whenever the right opportunity arises, they will definitely give him his chance,” Shukla told Times Now.
The BCCI official said there was no need for criticism of the management over a selection decision, insisting that the timing of Sooryavanshi’s debut should be left to those within the dressing room.
“So, such decisions should be left to the wisdom of the team management. I don’t know why such unnecessary comments are being made about it,” he added.
Iyer has faced extra criticism because his return to the T20I squad was more haphazard than Sooryavanshi’s, after scoring fewer runs in the IPL and seeing his team, Punjab Kings, perform worse than Rajasthan Royals.
