NZ vs IND: Why is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi not playing in 1st T20I?
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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi did not get a chance in the West Indies series.
New Zealand and India (NZ vs IND) are currently clashing in the first T20I of the five-match series. The two sides are clashing at Hagley Oval, Christchurch. The match started at 12:30 PM IST / 8 PM local.
India enter the series after a drawn T20I series at home against West Indies. Now, the Men in Blue will look to bounce back in this format. However, conditions in New Zealand will differ from those in India.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar is leading India’s pace attack; he returns to the team after nearly four years. New Zealand have a full-strength squad, and their combination looks better than India’s at the moment. They will be looking to take the world champions down in this home series.
India have won the toss and elected to field in the first T20I in Christchurch. India have made no changes in their opening combination, meaning Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will have to warm the bench again. The explosive opener also missed all five matches against the West Indies.
Why did Vaibhav Sooryavanshi miss the first NZ vs IND T20I?
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India have gone with Sanju Samson at the top, along with Abhishek Sharma. Samson has been a little inconsistent since the T20 World Cup 2026. In the 5-match T20I series against the West Indies, Samson scored 168 runs. His scores were 11, 82, 3, 56, and 16.
However, India have decided to stick with him at the top. The 15-year-old Sooryavanshi has been pretty effective; still, he has to wait for his chance.
Before the first match, captain Shreyas Iyer said Vaibhav is still young and has plenty of time to establish himself in international cricket. He also pointed out that India’s current openers have performed consistently.
“It’s important that a talent like him should always be happy around the dressing room. He is very young; he has more years to get opportunities. It’s not like he can walk in right now, because our openers are scoring consistently, and they have won the World Cup,” Iyer said.
Why did Vaibhav Sooryavanshi miss the first NZ vs IND T20I?
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is missing the first game, as India have gone with Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma at the top.
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