"Where Does He Stand?" Dinesh Karthik Seeks Clarity On Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's Role

The India vs Afghanistan first T20I is underway in New Delhi. For the opening match of the three-match series, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has not been picked in the playing XI. Sanju Samson will partner Abhishek Sharma at the top. This conundrum has persisted in India's line-up since the Ireland-England tour a couple of months ago. The Indian team has been rotating Samson and Sooryavanshi. Former India star Dinesh Karthik wants more clarity in the team selection.

"What is the batting order going to look like? Where does Vaibhav Sooryavanshi stand, and what about Sanju Samson? How are you going to fit him in? He was such an important player in the World Cup and was dropped midway through that England series. Where does he stand?" Karthik said ahead of the series.

"I want this Indian T20 team to understand what their identity is. New captain, new vice-captain. They haven't got the results in Ireland or England. They were absolutely outplayed there. What does it take?

"What is their plan? What does the bowling attack look like? Who are the players you are going to trust? A lot of this is not just about winning the series; it's about understanding what they need to take away from this series against Afghanistan," added Karthik, the batting coach of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

After winning the toss, captain Shreyas Iyer said India would bowl first, citing Delhi's tendency to favour teams bowling first. He also highlighted the positives from the Zimbabwe series and backed Jasprit Bumrah as a match-winner.

"We are going to bowl first. Whenever you come to Delhi, you know what the pitch has got to offer; it usually is a bowl-first wicket. We had a lot of positives in Zimbabwe, and we will try to continue on that. We know Bumrah is a match-winner. Vaibhav is not playing, Washington is not playing, and two more," Iyer said at the toss presentation.

Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran said they would also have preferred to bowl first but will now focus on posting a strong total. He described hosting India in Delhi as a great feeling, thanked the fans for their support, and said the team hopes to put up a good show in the series.

"We would have bowled first too. So we will focus on batting and look to put up a good total. It is a great feeling to host India in India. We are trying to have a good series against them. We have got lots of support from our friends, and hopefully they come and give us the energy. Naveen is not playing; we will think about him in the next games," he said.

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