India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak has revealed that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will have to wait for his opportunities during the UK tour. India will play two T20Is against Ireland, and five against England, but Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson are going to be India’s first-choice openers.

Meanwhile, Sooryavanshi, 15, earned his maiden India T20I call-up after scoring 776 runs in 16 matches of IPL 2026 at a blistering strike rate of 237.30 and an average of 48.50 for Rajasthan Royals.

The youngster continued his rich form, scoring 94 runs off just 29 balls in the tri-series final against Sri Lanka A at Dambulla on Sunday.

Sitanshu Kotak said in the pre-match press conference, “I am sure that he will get his dues and his opportunities. “So I don’t think that just to give him an opportunity, we should drop someone who has already been scoring runs. That also won’t be right.

“Obviously, it depends on the team management… what we plan to do in this match. That is a different thing. But I think it is a very thin line between trying to give somebody an opportunity and you being unfair to some other player,” the former Saurashtra batter went on to add.

Kotak revealed he told the prodigy batter to enjoy himself after he joined the senior team.

“The boys who come through the BCCI system playing U19, India A or Emerging tournaments, they more or less understand the culture of the Indian team. So it’s not as though a lot is different for him. But what we told him was for him to enjoy. If he wants to ask or share something, he should. Gautam was also telling him the same thing – ‘you just feel like you are playing for your own team and just say whatever you feel.’”

India will play the first T20I against Ireland at Belfast on Friday.