Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Deserved to Be India’s Main Opener

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has once again shown why he deserved to be backed as one of Team India’s main openers. His latest innings against Sri Lanka was not a huge score, but considering the conditions, it carried far more value than the number alone suggests.

On a surface where the ball was staying low and turning, batting freely was extremely difficult. Several Indian batters struggled to play their natural attacking game. Yet Vaibhav found a way to attack and scored 38 runs at a strike rate of around 180.

This was the kind of innings that strengthens the argument that Vaibhav should not be judged only by what he does on flat batting pitches.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Has Already Shown What He Can Do on Batting Tracks

One argument for keeping established openers ahead of Vaibhav can be their performances on good batting surfaces. But that is exactly where Vaibhav’s IPL performances become important.

When other top Indian batters were also playing in the IPL, Vaibhav showed that his attacking ceiling could be even higher. On batting-friendly wickets, he has the ability to score at strike rates of 250 or even 300 when he gets going.

So judging him only on good batting tracks does not really solve the debate.

If another opener can score 50 from 25 balls on a flat wicket, Vaibhav has the ability to produce something like 75 from those same 25 balls. That extraordinary attacking potential is exactly what makes him different.

More importantly, he has also shown that his game is not limited to perfect batting conditions.

Difficult Conditions Make This Innings More Important

The Sri Lanka game offered a very different challenge.

The pitch was slow, the ball was turning and some deliveries were keeping low. This was not a surface where a batter could simply hit through the line without taking risks.

Still, Vaibhav maintained his attacking approach and scored at around 180.

That matters because one of the biggest questions around an ultra-aggressive young opener is whether his game can survive when conditions are against him.

Vaibhav provided another answer here.

He has previously shown in the IPL that he can continue attacking even when the surface becomes slower or two-paced. He also displayed a similar ability during the Zimbabwe series, where he showed that his intent and stroke-making could remain effective outside ideal batting conditions. The argument, therefore, is not simply that he can destroy attacks on flat wickets. It is that his attacking game has the potential to work across different conditions.

Why Keeping Vaibhav Out Against Afghanistan Looked Unfair

This is also why his absence from the playing XI throughout the Afghanistan T20I series remains questionable.

Vaibhav was part of the Indian squad, but India continued with Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson as their opening combination.

Those matches offered excellent batting conditions, exactly the sort of conditions where Vaibhav can be at his most destructive.

If the team management wanted to assess his ability on a batting-friendly wicket, that series could have provided the ideal opportunity. Instead, he did not get a game.

That felt particularly harsh because Vaibhav had already shown through his IPL performances just how destructive he could be on such surfaces. With his ability to score at an extraordinary rate, he could even have challenged major individual batting records had he received a full opportunity on those tracks.

Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson Face the Same Test

The comparison with India’s other opening options also becomes important when conditions get difficult.

Abhishek Sharma has shown that he can handle spin and has produced innings on slower surfaces. Sanju Samson, however, has generally looked far more comfortable when the ball comes nicely onto the bat.

That is why performances like Vaibhav’s against Sri Lanka deserve attention.

It is easy to dominate when everything is in the batter’s favour. The bigger test comes when the pitch slows down, the ball turns and stroke-making becomes difficult.

Vaibhav still found a way to attack.

Vaibhav Has Made His Case Again

The 38-run innings may not look extraordinary when viewed only through the scorecard, but its value has to be measured against the conditions and what was happening around him.

India were losing wickets and their other attacking batters were finding it difficult to dominate. Vaibhav’s aggression gave India important early momentum and put pressure back on Sri Lanka.

That is why this can be viewed as a potentially match-defining contribution.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has already shown what he can do on batting tracks. Now he is also showing that difficult surfaces do not necessarily take away his attacking game.

And that strengthens the same argument once again: Vaibhav deserved a proper opportunity as Team India’s main opener, and keeping him out when ideal opportunities were available did not do justice to the talent and attacking ability he had already shown.