Delhi: Whenever a new star establishes his foothold in Indian cricket, his shine puts the positions of many senior players in danger. Now a similar claim has been made by former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif. Kaif believes that Vaibhav Suryavanshi will cement his place in Team India's T20I playing-11 in the coming 6 months.

Kaif gave direct warning to Tilak and Dubey

Vaibhav Suryavanshi did not get a chance in the recent Afghanistan series and the match played against Japan, but while talking on his YouTube channel, Mohammad Kaif clearly said that this young batsman cannot be ignored for long.

Taking aim at Tilak Verma and Shivam Dubey, Kaif said,

“I understand that Tilak Verma is the vice-captain of the team, but history is witness to the fact that vice-captains are also dropped. At the same time, Shivam Dubey is not scoring runs in every match and he has yet to prove himself. His fielding is also a bit weak and he is not a proper bowling all-rounder.

After 6 months, either Tilak or Dubey will have to go out and Suryavanshi will play in his place.”

How was the performance of Tilak and Dubey in 2026?

If we look at the figures, the year 2026 is going to be a mixed bag for Tilak Verma. He has scored 483 runs in 23 T20I matches at an average of 34.50, which includes only 3 half-centuries. Due to his struggle against spin, the team has tried him in the role of finisher many times.

On the other hand, Shivam Dubey has performed better with bat and ball this year. Along with scoring 502 runs at an explosive strike rate of 170.17, he also took 15 wickets.

However, his poor performance on the field and lack of consistency in bowling may go against him.

Asian Games and comparison with Sehwag

Kaif believes that at places like the Asian Games, the team could have given a chance to an explosive batsman like Vaibhav Suryavanshi instead of an extra bowler. He also compared Vaibhav with former legendary Indian opener Virender Sehwag.

Kaif said that just as Sehwag had won Test cricket with his aggressive batting, similarly Vaibhav's attacking style can be useful in every format. Apart from this, Vaibhav has recently tried his hand at bowling along with scoring runs in the Duleep Trophy.

If he acquires the ability to bowl a few overs, then the doors of Team India will open more quickly for him.