Michael Vaughan Questions India's Decision to Exclude Vaibhav Sooryavanshi from Playing XI

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (ANI Photo)

Former England captain Michael Vaughan expressed his surprise after India left teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi out of the playing XI for the opening T20I against Ireland despite the youngster's impressive rise in recent months. Sooryavanshi, who recently earned his maiden India call-up, was widely tipped to make his international debut in Belfast. However, India opted to retain the experienced opening combination of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma, meaning the 15-year-old had to wait for his opportunity. Soon after India's playing XI was announced and before the match got underway, Vaughan questioned the decision on social media. "Can’t believe India haven’t picked Vaibhav Sooryavanshi .. the best T20 player at the moment in the World," Vaughan tweeted. India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to field first, with Harshit Rana leading an impressive bowling effort. The fast bowler, returning after a four-month injury lay-off, claimed 3/24 as India reduced Ireland to 36/3 inside the Powerplay. Despite the early setbacks, Ireland recovered through captain Lorcan Tucker, who struck a composed 50 off 36 balls. Gareth Delany then blasted 49, while George Dockrell added a quickfire 19 as Ireland finished on a competitive 182/9. A 27-run over off Prasidh Krishna in the death overs proved crucial in lifting the hosts to a challenging total. India's chase never truly gathered momentum. Abhishek Sharma produced a blazing 20-ball half-century, but Ireland's disciplined pace attack kept striking at regular intervals. Debutant Jai Moondra dismissed Sanju Samson early, while Matt Hollard removed both Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer to put India on the back foot. With Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube and the lower order unable to build meaningful partnerships, India were bowled out for 148 as Ireland sealed a historic 34-run victory, their first-ever win over India in any format. While the result sparked plenty of discussion around India's batting approach, Vaughan's pre-match remarks on Sooryavanshi's omission also drew significant attention as the teenager continued to wait for his international debut.