Shreyas Iyer reveals why Vaibhav Sooryavanshi missed out on his historic India debut against Ireland: 'He's a gun player, but...'

Team India won the toss, and skipper Shreyas Iyer decided to bowl first against Ireland on Friday at the Stormont Cricket Ground in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is fresh off winning the Orange Cap award after scoring 776 runs in the IPL 2026 season. Image: X/SLC

FirstCricket Staff|Jun 26, 2026, 17:48:22 IST

India T20 captain Shreyas Iyer revealed why Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's highly anticipated India debut was delayed after the 15-year-old was not named in the team's playing XI for the first T20 match against Ireland in Belfast.

On Friday, India won the toss, and Iyer opted to field first against Ireland at the Stormont Cricket Ground.

Iyer: We are backing players who have done well

At the toss, skipper Iyer opened up on Vaibhav's omission, saying that they are backing the players who have delivered tremendously in the past.

"Unfortunately, no. He's a gun player, but we have some tremendous players who have done well for us, so we are backing them. He will get his chance when the time comes," Iyer said at the toss.

Iyer opens up on why India opted to field

Iyer explained Team India's decision to field first at the Stormont Cricket Ground as the pitch is new, and most players haven't played at the venue before.

He added that conditions and environment looked much more favourable for bowlers to maximise early advantage against the opponents.

Also Read | Belfast weather forecast, India vs Ireland 1st T20I: Check live streaming, pitch report, predicted XIs & more

"We’re going to field first. It looks like a good pitch. Yeah, it’s a new surface for us, and it’s the first time, and the majority of us haven’t played over here. So, considering the conditions, the environment, and also the wicket, we have decided to field first," Iyer added.

India's Playing XI for 1st T20 against Ireland: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson(w), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna.

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