VIDEO: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Likely To Miss Historic Team India Debut In IND Vs ENG 1st T20I Due To Sanju Samson

Durham, June 30: The Indian Cricket Team has landed in Durham for their five-match T20I series against England and the fans are still waiting to see teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi make his debut in the senior India team. However, they may have to wait a little longer. The team has indicated that they are not going to drop the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 hero Sanju Samson from the side to make way for the explosive young opener.

The team is also not looking to replace Abhishek Sharma for Vaibhav as he is in good form and had marginally missed his half-century by only one run in Ireland series. Team India Assistant Coach Ryan ten Doeschate indicated that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is unlikely to feature in the playing XI for the first T20I against England on July 1.

Speaking ahead of the five-match T20I series, ten Doeschate said Sooryavanshi is fully ready for international cricket but explained that the team management does not want to leave out experienced wicket-keeper batsman Sanju Samson who played a major role in India's ICC T20 World Cup 2026 triumph.

"Vaibhav is absolutely ready to play internationals, but you can't leave Sanju Samson out. He played a major role for us in the World Cup win. We want to give players a long run. Vaibhav has to wait for his opportunity," ten Doeschate said.

His comments strongly suggest that Sooryavanshi is unlikely to make his India debut in the opening T20I against England in Durham. Unless there is a last-minute injury or change in plans, the youngster is expected to remain on the bench.

The decision has disappointed many fans who were hoping to see the talented batter get his first opportunity in international cricket after being included in India's T20I squad. Social media is abuzz with messages urging the team management to hand him his debut.

India Squad

Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Tilak Varma (Vice-Captain), Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Suryansh Shedge, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Prince Yadav, Prasidh Krishna and Ravi Bishnoi.

India Vs England T20I Series 2026 Schedule

1st T20I: July 1 – Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street – 10:00 PM IST

2nd T20I: July 4 – Old Trafford Cricket Ground, Manchester – 7:00 PM IST

3rd T20I: July 7 – Trent Bridge, Nottingham – 10:00 PM IST

4th T20I: July 9 – County Ground, Bristol – 10:00 PM IST

5th T20I: July 11 – The Rose Bowl, Southampton – 7:00 PM IST