While the talks are going on about whether the young Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made his debut for India, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said that it would be unfair to change the combination to fit him into the playing XI. However, India’s top order is full of firepower.
While Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan are currently ranked first and second, respectively, in the ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings, Sanju Samson became the Player of the Tournament in India’s victorious T20 World Cup campaign as well.
Addressing the media on the eve of the opener in Belfast, Kotak said, “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. That also won’t be right. Obviously, it depends on the team management… what we plan to do in this match. That is a different thing. But I think it is a very thin line between trying to give somebody an opportunity and you being unfair to some other player.”
Kotak also praised Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who broke into the T20I setup on the back of a stunning 776-run campaign for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2026, smashing 72 sixes and winning the MVP Award. He named him an “outstanding talent”, while stressing the need for him to enjoy his experience in the senior setup as well.
“The boys who come through the BCCI system playing U19, India A or Emerging tournaments, they more or less understand the culture of the Indian team,” Kotak said. “So it’s not as though a lot is different for him. But what we told him was for him to enjoy. If he wants to ask or share something, he should. Gautam was also telling him the same thing – ‘you just feel like you are playing for your own team and just say whatever you feel.’”
“I feel that the level of 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 and he can freely behave the way he behaves in other teams, that is good enough.” Kotak again said.
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