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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is getting a lot of support from fans after missing out on his India debut on the Ireland tour, but former India cricketer Ambati Rayudu believes that the selectors should not rush the 15-year-old into every format. Rayudu feels India should be patient with such a young player after Bollywood star questions Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's snub.
There were huge expectations that Vaibhav would make his India debut on the Ireland tour, but the team management went with Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma for both games. However, the Men in Blue ended up facing an embarrassing whitewash in the T20I series 2-0 in Ireland.
Ambati Rayudu wants Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to focus only on T20Is for now
Amid the massive uproar over the snub, Ambati Rayudu said that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s future is very bright, but he also feels there is a proper time and place for everything. The former Chennai Super Kings batter stressed that the teenager should first settle into T20Is before India starts thinking about him as an option in ODI cricket ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
Rayudu said that the Indian team already has a strong option in Yashasvi Jaiswal for the third opener in ODI cricket. He stressed that Yashasvi should get that role because he has already shown that he can perform at the highest level and he deserves his chances.
Ambati Rayudu backs Yashasvi Jaiswal as India's third ODI opener
Ambati Rayudu told a select group of journalists, as quoted by Sportskeeda: “In ODI cricket, I feel Jaiswal should be ahead of anybody else for being the third opener. It should be Jaiswal. He should be given enough opportunity to be prepared before the World Cup.
For me, Vaibhav Suryavanshi being in T20 is a great sign, and that is where he should start off with. The guys who have done well in that format should be persisted with before Suryavanshi.” Amid this, Iceland Cricket mocks Gautam Gambhir after Ireland T20I loss.
He also backed Rohit Sharma to continue to be part of India’s plans for the ICC World Cup 2026. Rayudu shared, “I think Rohit should be persisted with and not judged too much. He should also be rotated based on what he feels at that point in time and what his load management could be.”
"They did the right thing"- Ambati Rayudu on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's snub
Speaking about Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Rayudu said that getting selected in the Indian squad itself is a big achievement. He also believes T20 cricket is the perfect format for the teenager to begin his international career because his fearless batting style suits the shortest format.
However, the former Indian batter supported the team management's decision not to pick Vaibhav during the Ireland series. The cricket pundit also said Vaibhav still gained something valuable from the Ireland tour and feels the teenager could get his opportunity during the upcoming five-match T20I series in England.
Rayudu further explained, “I think they did the right thing. It is a good learning curve for Suryavanshi to be in the dressing room to know what is required to play in the Indian team and what his role would be."
"There would be a lot of learning, and eventually when he gets his opportunity, he will be much better prepared. They deserve a go because they have done well and won the World Cup for India. So, they should be persisted with.”
"Don't tweak anything"- Ambati Rayudu on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's batting style
The former batter also had one important message for the coaches, saying they should not try to change Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's batting style.
He signed off by saying, “At the moment, don't tweak anything much, because you don't want to really get him to second-guess his shots. Learning will happen along the way, but he should really play his natural game and stick to it. The ball might not do as much as it did in Ireland.”
