Belfast, June 25 — India face a selection dilemma as they begin a new T20 chapter under Shreyas Iyer in the first of a two-match series against Ireland on Friday, June 26, with teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi pressing for a possible international debut. The 15-year-old’s eye-catching IPL form and a brutal 29-ball 94 for India A against Sri Lanka A have intensified calls for his inclusion, but fitting him into a World Cup-winning side presents a difficult choice for the management.
India’s established top three — Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan — bring strong recent records that make wholesale change unlikely. Samson, Abhishek and Kishan all scored fifties in India’s ICC T20 World Cup final win over New Zealand in March, India’s last outing in the format. If Sooryavanshi is picked as an opener, one of Samson or Abhishek would likely be displaced or moved down the order, a tough call so soon after a title triumph.
Shifting Samson to the middle order is an option-he has previously batted at No. 4 and No. 5-but those positions are expected to be occupied by skipper Shreyas Iyer and deputy Tilak Varma, leaving only No. 6 open. That slot traditionally goes to an all-rounder; India have several choices there, including Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel and newcomer Suryansh Shedge. Moving Samson to No. 6 would effectively leave India with just five frontline bowlers, a concern given the absences of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj and Varun Chakravarthy.
Samson’s numbers as an opener are compelling — 926 runs from 28 innings with three hundreds and four fifties at a strike rate of 181.93 — while his strike rates at Nos. 3, 4 and 5 (121, 129 and 127) are markedly lower. Abhishek, currently the No. 1 T20I batter, has amassed 1,414 runs from 43 innings with two hundreds and 10 fifties at a blistering strike rate of 192.38. IPL 2026 form also favours the incumbents: Abhishek (563), Kishan (602) and Samson (477) enjoyed productive tournaments, and Kishan recently struck 125 against Afghanistan in the second ODI at Lucknow.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir and Iyer must weigh whether to reward Sooryavanshi with a debut or retain the winning combination. His presence, regardless of selection, increases pressure on Samson and Abhishek to sustain high returns or face the prospect of being dropped.
Iyer will be keen to begin his full-time captaincy with a series win and to reaffirm the leadership qualities he displayed while captaining Kolkata Knight Riders to the 2024 title and guiding Punjab Kings to the IPL final a year later. With several senior pacers absent, India field a second-string bowling attack, but the Ireland series — and the subsequent England tour — offer chances to test depth. Harshit Rana’s return from injury adds pace options amid competition from Prasidh Krishna and Prince Yadav; Prasidh recently claimed a career-best fifer in the third ODI against Afghanistan in Chennai.
Ireland, hampered by injuries to frontline players Josh Little, Mark Adair, Paul Stirling and Curtis Campher, enter the series under new captain Lorcan Tucker. They still possess capable T20 performers in George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Harry Tector and Indian-origin Jai Moondra, but toppling the reigning T20 world champions will be a steep task. (PTI)
Original Source: https://theshillongtimes.com/2026/06/26/can-india-fit-sooryavanshi-into-playing-xi-vs-ireland/
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Publish Date: 2026-06-26 07:38:00
