Dropped after three failures, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi answers back with an 18-ball fifty
4 min readJul 23, 2026 08:00 PM IST When India dropped Vaibhav Sooryavanshi after just three innings in England, it raised a few uncomfortable questions. Had they rushed his inclusion, only to be even quicker to drop him before the 15-year-old could find his feet in international cricket? The decision to leave out the left-hander looked like more than a tactical call for another right-hander in the batting order. Still, this was the first time Sooryavanshi had faced the cruel side of cricket at the top level: that he can be benched. So when Sooryavanshi took guard at Harare Sports Club on Thursday, all eyes were on how the teenager would respond to the first setback he has faced at this level. Since walking into the India U-19 side in 2024, he has been a mainstay of every side he has been part of. Perhaps returning to the venue where he scored 175 in the Under-19 World Cup final gave him some familiarity with the conditions. Still, there was plenty to watch for in how …









