IND vs ENG, 1st T20I: Although Team India suffered a shocking series defeat to Ireland, three months after their second T20 World Cup victory, there is hardly any time for them to lick their wounds, given England are waiting in the wings. With the first of the five T20Is against England set to kickstart on July 1, Wednesday, captain Shreyas Iyer has given a massive statement on whether or not Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will play in the series-opener in Chester-le-Street. Iyer had notably said, “Every player in India’s playing XI has performed and helped us win the World Cup.”
Will Vaibhav Sooryavanshi make his debut in IND vs ENG 1st T20I?
When asked during the presser ahead of the first T20I on what is the appropriate time to hand the teenage prodigy a debut, Iyer responded by stating that not only Sooryavanshi but other players have performed well too. Hence, it’s important to back the players, who performed well in the T20 World Cup earlier this year.
“Every player in India’s playing XI has performed and helped us win the World Cup. Not that only one player has. So, we have to make players secure so that every player is confident, moving forward. The players who were integral to the previous World Cup win have the idea of how to play T20 cricket and they have been the main players of the format. So, it’s crucial to back them.”
It’s not that only one individual(vaibhav sooryavanshi)has perform others have performed too nd it’s imp to back them for providing security to players nd they’re main pillars and part of wc winning team. it’s ok but how will u justify ur own selection,u weren’t even in the team pic.twitter.com/tw7juoGyCz
— 🧑🏻🦯 (@kadaipaneer_) June 30, 2026
With the southpaw not getting a game in either of the two T20Is against Ireland and the Men in Blue losing both, it has triggered a backlash, especially given how well Sooryavanshi is currently batting. After helping the Indian U19 team win the World Cup, the youngster won five awards in IPL 2026 and smashed a 29-ball 94 against Sri Lanka A for India A in tri-series.
Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy tenure off to a terrible start
With Iyer replacing Suryakumar Yadav as the T20I captain and coming on the back of some big promise, the 31-year-old hasn’t lived up to the billing. While his captaincy got off to a horrible start, his returns with the bat against Ireland were 3 and 10 as the reigning champions lost their first T20I series since 2023.
Hence, the series against England will be critical.
