Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in focus as India take on Afghanistan in T20 series

India will begin their three-match T20I series against Afghanistan in New Delhi on Sunday with teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi attracting plenty of attention.

The 15-year-old was among just three Indian players who attended an optional practice session at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday, along with Tilak Varma and Abhishek Sharma.

India, however, have a selection headache at the top of the order. Sooryavanshi is competing with Sanju Samson for a place alongside Abhishek Sharma, giving captain Shreyas Iyer a welcome but difficult choice.

“Having all three of them in the team is a luxury. They are flawless in their own departments. It is going to be a tight call because they have been performing consistently. Whoever gets the opportunity, it’s for the team’s benefit,” Iyer said.

The India captain also stressed the importance of keeping players outside the playing XI confident and ready to make an impact when their opportunity arrives.

Sooryavanshi’s rise has been rapid. After the success in IPL, his international start wasn’t that exciting But he responded emphatically in Zimbabwe, finishing as the series’ leading run-scorer with 151 runs, including an 18-ball half-century and an unbeaten 81 off 49 balls.

Studied closely

Afghanistan skipper Ibrahim Zadran said that his team had studied Sooryavanshi closely, using information from players who have faced the teenager in the IPL. “He is an amazing talent. Recently, he played great cricket in the Indian Premier League, and he has been performing well at different levels. We have thought about him and gained that knowledge from those guys who have played against him in the IPL,” Zadran said.

“We have already watched his videos. We just try to keep it very simple for ourselves, execute the right plans at the right time against him and not make things complicated.”

The skipper also believed his team has prepared specifically for Indian star pacer Jasprit Bumrah.

“Bumrah is one of the best, and he is my favourite fast bowler. We as a group never think things in a complicated way. We have a very good plan for him and hopefully we are going to play better cricket against Jasprit Bumrah or the Indian cricket team,” Zadran said on Saturday.

India’s selection decisions are further complicated by the return of several players following injury concerns, with the Asian Games in Japan also approaching.

“We need to understand the amount of matches a player is playing continuously, rigorously. He’s bound to get injured some way or the other because the intensity is pretty high,” he said.