Teen batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi missed his debut for Team India in the opening T20I against Ireland on Friday (June 26).

India went in with a combination of three specialist seamers, one all-rounder and two spinners. Captain Shreyas Iyer, who won the toss and opted to field, confirmed that Sooryavanshi was not part of the playing XI.

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“Unfortunately no (Sooryavanshi’s debut). He’s a gun player, but we have some tremendous players who have done well for us, so we are backing them.

The playing XI featured players including Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan.

Receives senior Team India jersey

Ahead of the T20I series against Ireland, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi received his senior Team India jersey on Tuesday (June 23).

“The reason I picked up a bat from day one and went to the cricket ground for practice, today that dream was fulfilled. The biggest step towards that journey was completed today,” Sooryavanshi said.

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Sooryavanshi will wear the No. 3 jersey for India, a number previously worn by former India players Harbhajan Singh and Suresh Raina.

Record-breaking run

By earning selection for the senior squads for the Ireland and England series, Sooryavanshi became the youngest player to be inducted into the Indian team at 15 years and 71 days.

He surpassed Sachin Tendulkar’s record, which had stood for 36 years. Tendulkar received his maiden India call-up at the age of 16.

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The Sooryavanshi recently played a match-winning knock in the India A tri-series final against Sri Lanka A in Dambulla. He smashed a 29-ball 94, including a record 11-ball fifty, to help India A clinch the title on Sunday (June 21).

Teams for first T20I

Ireland: Tim Tector, Ross Adair, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (w/c), Benjamin Calitz, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Liam McCarthy, Matthew Humphreys, Jai Moondra, Matthew Hollard

India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (w), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna