Welcomed By VVS Laxman, Ignored By Gautam Gambhir: Glaring Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Stat Stirs Internet

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has played just three times in the 14 matches under Gautam Gambhir.© AFP

It was the same old story for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as he was left out of India's playing XI for the 4th T20I against the West Indies in Hyderabad on Wednesday. The teenager's absence from the team was once again the talking point after captain Shreyas Iyer announced an unchanged team for the clash. Sooryavanshi is yet to play in this season, and if India lose the match, there could be a case for the team sticking to the same batting line-up for the series decider.

Amid the debate surrounding Sooryavanshi, a key comparison has emerged between his time in the Indian team under head coach Gautam Gambhir and VVS Laxman, who is the head of BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE). Just eight games into his T20I career for India, Sooryavanshi has made five of those appearances with Laxman in charge of the team.

In contrast, he has played just three times in the 14 matchday squads he has been part of under regular coach Gautam Gambhir.

VAIBHAV SOORYAVANSHI FOR INDIA. - Under Gautam Gambhir played 3 out of 14 matches. - Under VVS Laxman played 5 out of 5 matches. https://t.co/gQpX8eHyOL

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) October 14, 2026

The former India batter deputised for Gambhir during the T20I series in Zimbabwe earlier this year, as well as at the Asian Games earlier this month. Sooryavanshi featured in all three games in Zimbabwe, as well as at the Asian Games, with India playing the semi-final and final after their quarter-final against Afghanistan was washed out.

Since the aforementioned stat pertains to matches that yielded a result, it is worth mentioning that Sooryavanshi was not part of India's squad for the Asian Games quarter-final against Afghanistan, with the Shreyas Iyer-led side advancing without a ball being bowled due to their higher ranking.

The 15-year-old who has scored 246 runs from eight T20Is but at a blistering strike-rate of 186.

Recently, former India batter Virender Sehwag said age should not be a matter of concern if a player is good enough to handle top-flight cricket, suggesting Sooryavanshi should be playing more matches.

"Look, if you are playing in an age-category, it makes sense - if it's Under-19, your age should be under 19. But once you play the IPL or play for India, age doesn't matter.

"A 38-or 40-year-old (Virat) Kohli is playing, and a 15-year-old (Vaibhav) Sooryavanshi is also playing. Then, performance matters," Sehwag said.

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