India Selection Dilemma Sooryavanshi Debut England Ireland Series

For two fixtures in Belfast, India’s team management resisted doing what Ajit Agarkar & Co and before that, the junior selection panel led by Tilak Naidu and S Sharath had done. Having included 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the touring party for the tour of Ireland and England T20Is, Agarkar’s selection panel had taken a bold, but right decision – to pick a player when he is not just in form but also riding high on confidence.

All the pre-series build-up in Ireland had been around Sooryavanshi. Not the arrival of the world champions. The locals, even though they don’t have their team playing at the FIFA World Cup, had good reason to stay away from the two T20Is in Belfast. In terms of context there was not much at stake. But a 15-year-old arriving in their backyard with separate hotel rooms being arranged for him to stay with his parents and a similar arrangement being put in at the ground for him to change, away from the adults, created curiosity.

Instead, in both fixtures on Friday and Sunday, India’s think-tank led by captain Shreyas Iyer and head coach Gautam Gambhir chose to do something different. Truth be told, they were sticking to their policy of giving their reputed players a consistent run. Abhishek Sharma has been at the forefront of Gambhir’s T20 evolution. Sanju Samson, with three successive knocks of individual brilliance won them the T20 World Cup only four months ago. Ishan Kishan, coming out of nowhere, has produced innings that leave a huge impact, enough that they made Sooryavanshi wait.

On Sunday, at the toss when Shreyas said there would be two debutants, it did come as a surprise to many that Sooryavanshi wasn’t one. Instead, the ones who received the cap were all-rounder Suryansh Shedge and pacer Prince Yadav. So far so good.

But by the time India head to Durham for the England swing on Monday, they would be confounded with one question – who does Sooryavanshi replace. Team selections don’t happen based on popular sentiments and to their credit Gambhir and his coaching staff and Shreyas might have felt there are good reasons for Sooryavanshi to gradually ease into international cricket. The left-hander hasn’t shown any stage fright or been overwhelmed by the occasion. But playing for India is still a big step.

However, India’s top three may have done him a favour by getting him closer to a debut. After a shocking loss on Friday, India’s top-order failed again on Sunday with Samson trapped in front, first delivery. Abhishek was caught in the third-man region, also for a golden duck, and Ishan was run-out going for a non-existing single on 12 off 11. At the T20 World Cup, when there was space for only two of the three, India found a way to play all three with Rinku Singh deemed surplus.

In Durham or possibly later on, in the five-match series, India have to find a way to accommodate Sooryavanshi. Of course, India’s think tank might give their top three leeway and not read too much into the results here as it comes at what has been a season where there is no such thing called fag end. Physically exhausted and tired players may have struggled to pick themselves for an inconsequential series against Ireland.

Those excused may have held some value in different times. But now there is a 15-year-old, who is already the darling of the masses, who is chasing them. Even the broadcasters would prefer to see him in the middle. In England, during the middle of the England vs New Zealand third Test, their host broadcaster took time out during the breaks to run a programme on Sooryavanshi with Kumar Sangakkara and Dinesh Karthik adding deserved hype to a player whom the English might be waiting to watch, like the whole of India.

Who knows, it might have always been the plan to make him play in England rather than in front of 4,500 fans in Ireland. Cricket is too commercial to not factor in these aspects. Whatever it is, India’s top three have given a reason for Sooryavanshi to play in England. The only question is, who makes way.

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