India T20I skipper Shreyas Iyer has made it clear that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will have to wait for his chances, and there is no way he can get into the starting XI at the moment, with the likes of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson giving their best.

The 15-year-old has played eight T20Is for India and was last seen in action during the Asian Games 2026. He was benched in the five-match T20I series against the West Indies, and the team management will follow the same script in the upcoming tour of New Zealand unless there is an injury or loss of form.

Abhishek and Samson have been preferred over him, and the two are dominating the bowlers from the word go.

Iyer spoke to the media before the series opener and said that Sooryavanshi’s talent is not under the scanner, but the young sensation couldn’t walk straight into the team while the current opener were giving their best.

“A talent like Sooryavanshi should be happy around the dressing room,” Iyer said.

“He is young and has time to play for the country.

It is not like he can walk into the playing squad because our openers have been amassing runs and won the World Cup for us,” he added.

In the Asian Games, Samson was demoted to the No.3 spot, with Vaibhav getting a chance to open the innings with Abhishek. He scored 53 runs in two matches at a strike rate of 176.66.

Iyer has been highlighting the importance of staying patient and trusting the preparations rather than getting frustrated.

“I have told him that he has to practice and trust the process as we have two openers, who have been magnificent with the bat. We have this conversation with Vaibhav,” Iyer had said after the fifth T20I against the West Indies.

Even India head coach Gautam Gambhir is in no hurry to add Sooryavanshi to the playing XI as he is also backing Samson and Abhishek.

“I spoke to Vaibhav and told him that he has to wait. We know about his talent and what he can do with the bat. But again, you can’t ignore the performances of others. Whenever he gets a chance, he will get a longer run,” Gambhir had said.

Iyer also pointed to the overseas experience, saying it would help Vaibhav to prepare for future matches.

“When he travels for overseas series, he will get a fair idea of the conditions and how to play on particular wickets.

Next time, when he visits other countries, he will be fully prepared.”

The first T20I between India and New Zealand will be played on October 22.