The reverse counting to India’s Asia Cup T20 tean declaration has picked a pace with a fresh debate triggered by former India captain Kris Srikkanth, who has thrown his weight behind the entry of 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi.
The team is supposed to be concluded on August 19, with competition for the opening slots fiercer than ever.
Suryavanshi’s spectacular rise has been hard to negect. The 14-year-old’s IPL 2025 match for Rajasthan Royals was nothing short of extraordinary.
The teenager had scored 252 runs at a strike rate exceeding 200 in just seven matches. His crowning moment came against Gujarat Titans, where he thrushed the second-fastest century in IPL history, racing to three figures in just 35 balls.
His brilliance carried forward into international youth cricket. On India’s U19 tour of England, Suryavanshi scored a century and delivered consistent performances across both one-day and four-day formats, underscoring his adaptability and maturity well beyond his years.
“You have to play bold. Don’t make him wait. Don’t say things like ‘let him mature’. He is already playing with remarkable maturity. His shot-making has been on another level. If I were chairman, I would definitely have him in the squad,” Srikkanth said, urging selectors to back the teenager.
The debate around the batting order is also shaped by the presence of several established names. Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson have become central figures under the leadership of head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav, thanks to their aggressive batting approach. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and IPL 2025 Orange Cap holder Sai Sudharsan remain strong contenders as well.
Srikkanth, however, has raised doubts about Samson’s place in the side. “Samson is doubtful, according to me,” he remarked. “My first-choice opener is Abhishek Sharma, no doubt. I will have two more openers. My picks would be Vaibhav Suryavanshi or Sai Sudharsan, with Shubman Gill as an option. If I were a selector, I would keep Vaibhav in the 15 for the T20 World Cup. He has been outstanding.”
He elaborated further: “I think it should be Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, and Sai Sudharsan. I would take two out of these three. That would be my preference.”
The numbers back Abhishek and Samson’s credentials. Since the T20 World Cup final in June 2024, Abhishek has scored 535 runs at an average of 33.43 and a strike rate of 193.84, including two centuries. Samson has been equally prolific, with three hundreds in 17 matches at a strike rate of 171.47. Yet, his recent struggles in the five-match series against England — three single-digit scores in five innings, particularly against short-pitched bowling — have raised concerns about his consistency.
Srikkanth, who once captained a 16-year-old Sachin Tendulkar during his debut in Pakistan in 1989, believes India should seize the moment with Suryavanshi. For him, the Asia Cup is not just another tournament — it is the platform where bold decisions could shape India’s fortunes at the T20 World Cup next year.
