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Will the teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi make his debut for the senior cricket team of India in the first of the two-match T20I series against Ireland?
This remains amongst the most discussed topics among cricket fans since the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel announced the squads for the team’s tour to the United Kingdom and the 2026 Asian Games in Japan.
Will Vaibhav Sooryavanshi play in the first T20I against Ireland?
Ahead of the match in Belfast, the batting coach of the Indian cricket team, Sitanshu Kotak, opens his mouth on the topic of the debut of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The Southpaw nearly batted for an hour in the nets.
Pushing the ball on the court of head coach Gautam Gambhir and the newly appointed captain Shreyas Iyer, Kotak says that whether Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will play against Ireland completely depends on the decisions of Gambhir and Iyer.
Sithanshu Kotak on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s Debut - Shreyas & Gautam Gambhir will decide the XI in the evening. #TeamIndia #INDvsIRE #PressConference pic.twitter.com/V7gjQnfhFu
— Ankan Kar (@AnkanKar) June 25, 2026
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi left his mark in multiple tournaments
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, at the age of only 15, is on the brink of making his debut for the Men in Blue. But when, that is the question which is yet to be clear.
There are high chances for the emerging batter to play his first match for the Indian National Cricket Team against Ireland, as after the conclusion of the third-match T20Is, Team India will face England for a high-profile white-ball series.
Sooryavanshi has been scoring runs relentlessly in the past few months. Whether it was with the Rajasthan Royals in the 2026 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) or with the India A-team during the recently concluded tri-nation ODI series, the opener left his mark on a positive note.
During the press conference, Sitanshu Kotak was asked about the chances of Vaibhav seeing batting in the first T20I against the home team in Belfast. Ahead of the match, for the first time, the Bihar-born did his batting training with the team.
Kotak is among the people who have been monitoring the budding talent since the under-19 days. So, he is well aware of the talent and potential the batter is carrying within himself. Kotak highlights that the 15-year-old has faced multiple world-class bowlers during the Indian Premier League.
"Vaibhav is here for the first time. I have seen him in the U-19 team. (But I think he is an outstanding talent. Everyone knows him. The way he is playing in the IPL. And according to the BCCA system, the U-19 players who come from India, they more or less understand the culture of their Indian team more or less. So, it is not that there is a lot of difference for him," the batting coach of the Indian cricket team told the reporters.
Sitanshu Kotak breaks the silence on the burning topic
Kotak says that the team will be confirmed in the evening, but nothing has been decided yet. Who will play or not will be decided by the captain and the head coach.
"The team will be decided in the evening. But the debut has come in the Indian team. Just like the rest of the people, it is the same. So, when the time comes, I am sure he will make his debut. But it is difficult to say that he will do it tomorrow or in the next match. He can do it in the evening when the team is decided. Gautam and Shreyas. After that," Sitanshu Kotak said on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's debut.
