Gautam Gambhir Gave Vaibhav Sooryavanshi "Harsh Truth" About Selection: "Might Not Like It"

Despite producing one of the greatest Indian Premier League (IPL) individual campaigns of all-time and having the world at his feet, 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has struggled to break into India's T20I playing XI. While he has had a few opportunities, the Gautam Gambhir and Shreyas Iyer-led management has largely gone with Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson at the top - the duo that won India the T20 World Cup 2026. Former India cricketer Murali Kartik admitted that Sooryavanshi has faced the "harsh truth" of international cricket.

"Even if you have to give them the harsh truth, it's better to give it to them, because you take it on your chin. You might not like it; it's not palatable for a while, but it is what it is. You have to deal with it and move on," said Kartik on Sooryavanshi's situation, in an interaction with India Today.

"I am not somebody who makes a change for the sake of it. I know change is constant, but change for the right reasons. There has to be a reason why there is a change. So, when it comes to the opening duo in India, I know they are a bit inconsistent, but that is what has won games for you," he added.

Kartik explained that Sooryavanshi finds himself in a situation similar to Yashasvi Jaiswal in ODIs, where an extremely talented opener is not able to break into the playing XI on a regular-basis due to the presence of an already-settled duo.

However, Kartik also reiterated that Gambhir and Shreyas have taken the right approach when it comes to handling Sooryavanshi.

"Yes, we get excited because he's an exciting talent. We are not taking anything away, but at the end of the day, it's like Yashasvi Jaiswal in white-ball cricket. Do you make the change just for the sake of it, just to knock somebody off?

"Shreyas has spoken about it, Gautam has spoken about it, I'm pretty sure they're having the right word with Sooryavanshi, because he's there. Nobody is saying that he's not there. It's just that sometimes when the others are doing well, you cannot. It is unfortunate, but it is what it is," Kartik added.

Sooryavanshi's opportunities have been few and far between, but they have come largely in place of Samson, who tends to suffer inconsistent patches of form. However, the wicket-keeper batter, who was the Player of the Tournament in the T20 World Cup, has silenced critics with four half-centuries in his last 10 games.

Therefore, despite Sooryavanshi's enormous potential, he is only likely to earn a permanent spot in the XI in the case of a drastic drop in form for one of Samson, Abhishek Sharma or Ishan Kishan.

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