Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin advised the 15-year-old sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to wait for his debut in international cricket. The left-handed batter is standing on the cusp of history as he looks to break Shafali Verma and Sachin Tendulkar’s record to become the youngest-ever debutant for Team India. However, the youngster was made to warm the bench in the T20I series opener against Ireland as the team management stuck with the World Cup-winning opening duo of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson.
Samson failed to get going in the Belfast T20I, and several experts and fans believe that Sooryavanshi should make his debut in the second match at the same venue on Sunday. However, Ashwin believes Abhishek and Samson need to be persisted with.
Ashwin also advised the selection committee, headed by Ajit Agarkar, to send Sooryavanshi on the Zimbabwe tour ahead of the Asian Games and hand him his debut there.
“There is no place for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi right now. If he has to play, then selectors should send him to the Zimbabwe tour, where these incumbent openers will not be there. But it seems difficult. Sanju Samson is not in the Test or ODI teams, and the same goes for Abhishek Sharma. Earlier, one player used to play in all three formats,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’.
“This is the ODI cricket World Cup preparation year, and if the T20 cricketers do not get a chance, then where will they play. So it’s not fair. Whatever happened, it was right. On merit, Vaibhav Sooryvanshi demands a place. But then not at the cost of the incumbent openers. Purely, if you have to make a place for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, it should come in case of loss of form or an injury replacement,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel, Ash ki Baat.
‘No superstar culture’
Ashwin also had a word of caution for the fans, saying the individual is not bigger than the game, which is the main reason Sooryavanshi needs to wait, and that supporters also need to understand the rationale behind sticking with Samson and Abhishek.
“I have told many times how good a player Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is. But we have to understand that it’s a team game. Nobody makes a team for an individual. Gautam Gambhir has said that it should be team first, and there should not be a superstar culture. I agree that superstars are great for the game, and it’s easier to sell it because of them. But what mistake have Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson made so that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi can play by keeping one of them out?asked Ashwin.
Earlier, Sooryavanshi earned a national team call-up after his superb performance in the IPL 2026 season, in which he smashed 776 runs and won multiple awards, including the Orange Cap and Super Striker. Days later, he smashed the fastest List-A fifty, off just 11 balls.