Photo via Hindustan Times

Team India holds cards close to chest, refuses to reveal whether Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will play 1st T20I against West Indies

India’s selectors remain tight-lipped ahead of the first T20I against the West Indies, with bowling coach Morne Morkel declining to confirm whether 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will feature in the starting XI. The youngster, who missed the three-match series against Afghanistan but earned selection for the Asian Games—where he batted at No.

2 in both the semi-final and the gold-medal final—faces an uncertain path. While he opened the batting alongside Abhishek Sharma under spin-friendly conditions in the Asian Games, the upcoming pitches in India are expected to favor aggressive batting, potentially sidelining him in favor of established openers like Gautam Gambhir and Shreyas Iyer.

Morkel emphasized that team combinations will hinge on player fitness post-tournament, noting that rotation decisions ultimately serve India’s World Cup ambitions. Despite limited game time, the coach praised Sooryavanshi’s development, highlighting the value of learning alongside senior players in training and team settings.

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