“Sensible call by the management” - Former India captain on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's promotion in NZ vs IND 2026 3rd T20I

Former India captain Ajinkya Rahane believes the team management made a sensible call by promoting Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to open alongside Abhishek Sharma in the third T20I against New Zealand. The match was played in Wellington on October 27.

Chasing 199, Sooryavanshi (45 off 19) and Abhishek (113 off 38) stitched together a 133-run stand off just 43 deliveries for the first wicket, while Sanju Samson (18 off 13) was moved to No. 3 as the Men in Blue secured a six-wicket win with 40 balls to spare.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Rahane noted that Sooryavanshi prefers to bat in the opening slot rather than at No. 3, where he batted in the second T20I. However, he added that Samson will likely return to the opening role once Ishan Kishan recovers from his injury. Rahane said:

“Sanju was sent in at No. 3, while Vaibhav was promoted to open the innings, which I think was a sensible call by the team management. He is 15 years old and had never batted at No. 3 before the second T20I. He is in good form and is the kind of player who likes to go out early, attack and dominate. He will learn gradually, and that is something he may need to learn as well. Whether he gets to bat at that position every time is a different matter because when Ishan Kishan returns, we might see Sanju Samson opening the innings again.”

Rahane further discussed the 15-year-old's batting, saying he enjoyed watching him play. He highlighted Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's intent, particularly his first-ball four off Jacob Duffy, as the standout moment. Rahane remarked:

“So, it was a good opportunity for Vaibhav, and he did really well. But I am sure that, considering the calibre he has shown, the management made the right call by promoting him up the order. At least the management gave Sooryavanshi a chance to bat at his preferred position. It was really good to watch him bat, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The best thing was the intent he showed on the very first ball, hitting it over mid-on. It demonstrated how confident he is and how much he trusts his own ability. That is a very big thing.”

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has scored 295 runs in 10 T20Is at an average of 29.50 and a strike rate of 185.53, registering two half-centuries.

“We have seen a lot of misfields and dropped catches” - Ajinkya Rahane on New Zealand’s struggles

In the same video, Ajinkya Rahane stated that dew has not had much of an impact on New Zealand's performance and that the team would be aware of its fielding lapses as they trail 3-0 in the series, saying:

“No, I don't think the dew has had much of an impact on their performance. It becomes a little challenging when you have to bowl with dew on the field. If you look at the first two T20Is, they were in a good position. We generally see from the New Zealand team. We have seen a lot of misfields and dropped catches from them this time. If you look at all three T20Is, there have been several instances of misfielding and dropped catches. They would probably be aware of that as well. I don't think they would be thinking too much about the dew because these are things that are not in their control.”

The two sides will return to action for the fourth T20I on Friday, October 30, in Auckland.

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