Former Indian batter Ambati Rayudu reckons the selectors picking Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in T20Is is a great sign but believes other players are ahead of the youngster in the pecking order for ODIs. Rayudu said Yashasvi Jaiswal should get his chances in the 50-over format and we shouldn’t be too judgmental for a player like Rohit Sharma.
Sooryavanshi recently scored 776 runs in 16 matches of IPL 2026 at a blistering strike rate of 237.30 for the Rajasthan Royals and thus earned his maiden T20I call-up.
On the other hand, Yashasvi Jaiswal recently scored a fine knock of 110 runs in the third ODI against Afghanistan but was not picked for the England ODIs.
“In ODI cricket, I feel Jaiswal should be ahead of anybody else for being the third opener. It should be Jaiswal. He should be given enough opportunity to be prepared before the World Cup. I think Rohit should be persisted with and not judged too much. He should also be rotated based on what he feels at that point in time, what his load management could be. For me, Suryavanshi being in T20 is a great sign, and that is where he should start off with. The guys who have done well in that format should be persisted with before Suryavanshi,” Ambati Rayudu told a select group of journalists.
Meanwhile, Sooryavanshi didn’t get his chance in the two T20Is against Ireland and Rayudu said it was the right call by the team to back the incumbent opening pair of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma.
“I think they did the right thing. It is a good learning curve for Suryavanshi to be in the dressing room, to know what is required to play in the Indian team, what his role would be. There would be a lot of learnings and eventually when he gets his opportunity, he would be much better prepared. They deserve a go because they have done well and won the World Cup for India. So they should be persisted with,” he said. (via the aforementioned source)
Rayudu said Sooryavanshi should not be urged to make any changes to his technique if he plays against England.
“At the moment, don’t tweak anything much, because you don’t want to really get him to second-guess his shots. Learning will happen along the way, but he should really play his natural game and stick to it. The ball might not do as much as it did in Ireland.”
India will take on England in a five-match T20I series, starting Wednesday.
