The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly advised young opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and senior opener Abhishek Sharma to adopt a more balanced approach after their inconsistent performances in the ongoing T20I series against England.
India’s opening pair has shown glimpses of their aggressive batting style but has struggled to convert starts into significant scores. Fifteen-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has scored 42 runs in three innings, with his highest score being 15. Despite hitting five sixes, the young batter is yet to make a major impact at the international level.
Sooryavanshi had earned widespread attention during IPL 2026 after finishing as the tournament’s highest run-scorer with 776 runs at a strike rate of over 237, becoming the youngest player to win the Orange Cap. His performances prompted the selectors to hand him an early international debut.
According to an ANI report, a BCCI source said both Sooryavanshi and Abhishek Sharma possess exceptional power-hitting ability but need to exercise greater control over their shot selection and innings-building.
The series has also been challenging for the Indian team, which suffered a heavy nine-wicket defeat in the fourth T20I at Bristol, resulting in a second consecutive series loss under captain Shreyas Iyer.
Sooryavanshi created history by becoming India’s youngest international debutant at 15 years and 99 days, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s previous record of 16 years and 205 days.
The Bihar batter, retained by Rajasthan Royals for ₹1.1 crore ahead of IPL 2026, enjoyed a remarkable domestic season, scoring one century, five half-centuries and hitting 72 sixes. Across his IPL career, he has scored 1,028 runs in 23 matches at an average of 44.69 and an impressive strike rate of 228.95, including two centuries and six fifties.
Meanwhile, former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel questioned the decision to leave out Sanju Samson in favour of Sooryavanshi. Speaking on JioStar’s ‘Game Plan’, Patel said the selection appeared to be driven more by emotion than logic, while noting that Samson’s inconsistent performances have often affected his chances despite his talent.
Abhishek Sharma has had a mixed series as well. After scoring 59 and 43 in the first two T20Is against England, the left-handed opener managed only 10 and 16 in the following two matches after an earlier 49-run knock against Ireland.
