Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has to wait for his India debut and it is exactly how it should be

India's tour to Ireland is usually a filler before the team moves to England for a bigger tour. However, this time, it is quite close to being the main event. The reason behind the massive eyeballs around this two-match series is a 15-year-old boy. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been drafted into the Indian squad for the first time, and in the first game, many wanted to see him become the youngest man to debut for India. However, he has to wait.

Fans, obviously, were not happy with the team management's decision to not bring Sooryavanshi straight into the Playing XI in the first game. However, the team selection has been perfectly as it should have been.

The allure of Sooryavanshi

What Chris Gayle, regarded as the most dangerous T20 batter, did at the peak of his powers, Sooryavanshi is doing at 15. When kids of his age were not sure what stream of study to choose, this boy from Bihar was picking the best of the world's bowlers and sending them to the cleaners.

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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi could make his India debut in UK. Reuters

Many believe that such batting talent has never been seen in the history of this game. To let such a star keep playing at lower levels would have been a waste of his talent. So, it was a smart decision to bring him into the fold of the senior team. However, now that he is at the cusp of a historic India debut, it is fair that he has to wait.

Why fix what's not broken?

When Pakistan U19 team beat India U19 team in the final of the U19 Asia Cup last year, there was much celebration in their camp. Some of the players who did well in the tournament, were straightaway drafted into the starting XI of the Pakistan senior team.

A lot of Indian fans would want the same to happen with Sooryavanshi, but it is important to note that the Indian team is not struggling. The Men In Blue have won back-to-back T20 World Cups. Many believe that the current Indian T20I set-up is the best line-up ever assembled in the game.

To break this combination in order to push Sooryavanshi into it would be wrong to the players who won the T20 World Cup.

Abhishek Sharma is the top-ranked T20I batter, Ishan Kishan played multiple crucial knocks in the World Cup, and Sanju Samson was the Player of the Tournament. How can India drop any of these three to accommodate Sooryavanshi?

Shreyas Iyer also gave the same reason for not picking Sooryavanshi straightaway in the Playing XI.

"We’ve got tremendous experience in the squad who have done brilliant in the past couple of series for India. So we are backing majority of our cricketers who have been doing absolutely marvellous throughout the season. So I think he (Sooryavanshi) will get his opportunity when the time comes," Iyer said at the toss.

Being patient with prodigy

Sooryavanshi is just 15, and if everything goes right, he has a career of at least two decades still in front of him. Even if he does not get a chance today, he will surely get it tomorrow or the day after. The same cannot be said about other players, say a Sanju Samson. He will soon be 32, and if he is not given a fair run now despite his exceptional performances, it will be unjust.

At the same time, it is also important for Sooryavanshi to be with the senior team and bide his time. From the lower levels in Bihar to the elite stage of IPL, there would have hardly been any team where Sooryavanshi would not have been a sure-shot starter. Being on the bench for the Indian team will help him see a different and much-needed perspective of the game. It helps both him and the Indian team in the long run.

He can be given a debut somewhere on this tour to the United Kingdom, but it is fair for everyone involved that he waits before being given a longer run with the Men in Blue.