Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continues the disappointing start to his international career after getting a place in the Indian Cricket Team playing XI against New Zealand today and getting out cheaply.
The New Zealand vs India 2nd T20I is currently being played at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. The Men in Blue won the toss and decided to bowl first on a pitch that promised to provide a fair competition between bat and ball.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Disappoints In 2nd T20 Vs NZ
The biggest news ahead of the game was the inclusion of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the playing XI. After sitting on the bench for the first T20I, the 15-year-old was included in the squad in place of Ishan Kishan.
The Kiwis batted first and got off to a poor start, losing three wickets in the powerplay. But then came a 110-run partnership between Glenn Phillips and Bevon Jacobs.
Jacobs made a fighting 58 off 46, while Phillips, continuing his form from the first match, scored a fine 70 off 43. The two dragged the BlackCaps to a decent total of 180/5 in 20 overs.
India came in to chase and got off to a shaky start. The first over of the second innings, bowled by Matt Henry, was a maiden, as Sanju Samson failed to score a single run in the first six deliveries he played while struggling against good-length deliveries.
Abhishek Sharma opened his arms in the second over with two boundaries before Sanju joined the party with a four of his own in the third. At the end of the fourth over, the score was 37/0.
After a challenging time at the pitch, Samson was dismissed by Jacob Duffy in the fifth over for 14 off 17. This brought Vaibhav Sooryavanshi out to the crease. And immediately, the teenage sensation was struggling to do anything productive.
The first ball he faced was a bouncer by Duffy, welcoming the youngster to New Zealand. Vaibhav then took a run on the second ball he faced.
The sixth over started with Sooryavanshi slicing the ball to the backwards point, which should have been an easy catch for Bevon Jacobs in the deep but was dropped, two runs.
On the next two balls, the 15-year-old looked shaken, as he scored no runs. Another run came on the sixth ball he played. Just like that, the powerplay was over, and India was at 44/1.
The seventh over started with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi on strike. He defended the first ball, still looking for his mojo. However, he would not get a chance to come into his element, as on the very next ball, he played the ball across towards cover and was caught.
Sooryavanshi played eight balls in this innings, scored four runs, and was dismissed by Nathan Smith. His wicket put the Indian Cricket Team in a compromised position at 44/2.
This was the latest chapter in Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s disappointing start to international cricket. After winning the IPL 2026 Orange Cap at the age of 15, he was selected into the T20I side that toured Ireland and England.
He made his international debut against England in Manchester, where he made 14 runs. He made 13 and 15 in the next two innings in England.
Then came the tour to Zimbabwe, where, while playing against a weaker team, Sooryavanshi did quite well, scoring two 50s in three matches. However, one must remember that between his international appearances, India played many matches where he was not picked in the playing XI. So, not being a first-choice top-order batter, Vaibhav needed a fine innings against a strong side.
That was the opportunity that the Bihar-native had today and fumbled. Now, it is unknown whether the young cricketer will get to play another match in this series.
As for the Men in Blue, their position in this New Zealand vs India 2nd T20I worsened soon after, as Abhishek Sharma departed in the ninth over, followed by quick wickets of Axar Patel and captain Shreyas Iyer. At the end of the 11th over, the team’s score stands at 70/5, with 110 runs required in 54 deliveries.
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