Regarding Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s debut in the series opener against England, which will take place in Chester-le-Street on Wednesday, India captain Shreyas Iyer stayed silent, stating that it is crucial to support the players who won the T20 World Cup a few months ago.
Since the teenager was included in the squads for the tours of Ireland and England, the Indian camp has been plagued by the controversy surrounding Sooryavanshi’s debut, but Iyer stated that it is essential to create a secure environment for every player.
India would probably need to break the successful opening duo of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma in order to bring in the 15-year-old batting sensation.
“Look, all the players in the team have performed well, it’s not that only one individual has performed well,” PTI quoted Iyer telling reporters on the eve of the first T20I in Chester-le-Street on Tuesday.
“But we have to build that opportunity and security, so that each individual has confidence going forward into the tournaments. The players who have won the last World Cup, definitely have an idea of how to play T20, and continuously they have been the main pillars of that format so it’s very important to back them,” Iyer said.
Iyer once more declined to provide any information when asked directly if Sooryavanshi would make his debut on Wednesday.
“You never know what is going to happen. Our hands are also tied at the moment in terms of what we are going to do. This is very private. This is something that we discuss in the team. We can’t let everyone know about what combination we are going to play and let the opponents know that this is going to happen. He is a prodigy and whenever he gets an opportunity to play, definitely, he will do (a) brilliant (job) ,” he said.
The India skipper denied having any external pressure to give Sooryavanshi a debut.
“I am not seeing anything as such. Really, I don’t know. Neither do I follow news, nor do I follow what is going on in social media. I have not heard anything,” he said.
The first series defeat against the Irish was a “depressing” one, according to Iyer, who became captain of India prior to the Ireland visit.
“It wasn’t embarrassing, but it was depressing for us, because we definitely didn’t expect Ireland to play that well,” he said.
“They outplayed us in every department, they had brilliant ideas about the dimensions of the ground, and we fell short in terms of analysing and planning the ground and the dimensions, and how the wicket would be played.”
“Credit to them, but we learnt a lot from that series. This is a completely new chapter for us coming in here. A couple of us have played in England before, and we know the conditions (and) the dimensions over here. So, looking forward for an intense and challenging series.”
After losing the series 0-2, Iyer said that India had not adjusted to the conditions in Ireland.
“(At) Belfast, we played after so many years. It’s not a reason (for series loss), but I’m just saying that (in) getting acclimatised to the wicket (and) to the conditions, we fell a bit short, (also) in terms of reading the outfield,” he said.
Iyer claimed that the Indian squad was unable to adjust to the peculiar layout of the Stormont ground.
“The Belfast ground definitely wasn’t a stadium. The outfield was a bit slow, and it wasn’t even. The dimensions were also a bit squarish,” Iyer said.
“Also as a captain, for me (while) setting the field, it felt a bit outlandish, because we’re not used to it. We were playing in the IPL, all the grounds were perfectly even from every direction. So, that was a bit challenging.”
“Over here (England), the dimensions are pretty much similar, but the ground is flat, and you feel the stadium vibe, the crowd would be intense as well. We’ve played in such conditions, such situations before. So, yes, (we are) building into that,” he said.
Iyer stated that despite a few bad performances in Ireland, he is not worried about his form.
“The way I’m timing the ball in the nets, even in the previous game, I thought I was timing brilliantly, just the odd the ball bounced and took an inner edge. That doesn’t justify how my batting is or how much pressure I’m taking. I definitely believe in my instincts. I know how well I play under pressure,” he said.
