IND vs ENG 1st T20I: Gautam Gambhir, Shreyas Iyer face backlash after Vaibhav Sooryavanshi snub; ‘what's the logic?’

Indian captain Shreyas Iyer and head coach Gautam Gambhir faced a lot of criticism on social media after Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was once again snubbed as India opted to bat first against England in the first T20I in Wednesday in Durham. Having won the Orange Cap in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Rajasthan Royals, with 776 runs, and also impressing with a 29-ball 94 for India A against Sri Lanka A, Sooryavanshi received his maiden senior India call-up for their tour of England and Ireland.

However, to put waters in everyone's expectations, Sooryavanshi warmed the bench in Ireland which India lost 0-2 last month. With the likes of former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar calling for Sooryavanshi's inclusion in the playing XI, the Indian think-tank decided time is yet to come for the 15-year-old before he gets his maiden senior India cap.

Taking to social media, fans voiced their frustration upon Sooryavanshi snub and felt that the teenage sensation should have gotten his chance in England in the first game of the series. “Even after getting whitewashed 2-0 by Ireland, India still didn’t give Vaibhav Sooryavanshi a chance in the 1st T20I vs England. GG politics or what’s the logic?” wrote one user on X.

When will Vaibhav Sooryavanshi play?

Sooryavanshi's debut isn't going to come soon, as hinted by Indian captain Shreyas Iyer and assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate. While Ten Doeschate said that Sooryavanshi will have to "go through the process and bide his time" like any other cricketer to get a place in the eleven, Iyer was clearcut that the seniors deserve a chance ahead of the teenager.

"Look, all the players in the team have performed well, it's not that only one individual has performed well," Iyer told media on Tuesday. "But we have to build that opportunity and security, so that each individual has confidence going forward into the tournaments.

"The players who have won the last World Cup, definitely have an idea of how to play T20, and continuously they have been the main pillars of that format so it's very important to back them," Iyer said.

When asked specifically if Sooryavanshi was going to make his debut on Wednesday, Iyer again refused to divulge any information. "You never know what is going to happen. Our hands are also tied at the moment in terms of what we are going to do. This is very private," he said.

“This is something that we discuss in the team. We can't let everyone know about what combination we are going to play and let the opponents know that this is going to happen. He is a prodigy and whenever he gets an opportunity to play, definitely, he will do (a) brilliant (job).”

India opt to bat first

Meanwhile, India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to bat against England. Spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi returned to the playing eleven for India but young batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi remained on the sidelines. England had announced their playing eleven on the eve of the match.

India vs England 1st T20I playing XIs

India: Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy.

England: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Harry Brook (c), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid, Luke Wood, Saqib Mahmood.