Vaibhav Sooryavanshi dropped, but ex-captain sees a great message from India

NZ vs IND, 4th T20I: Stephen Fleming praised India's decision to bench Vaibhav Sooryavanshi despite his record-breaking powerplay show, saying it sent a great message about backing established players and giving them the freedom to play fearlessly.Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was dropped for the fourth T20I in Auckland (PTI Photo)New Delhi,Oct 30, 2026 12:41 ISTIndia did not give Vaibhav Sooryavanshi an extended run in the T20I series against New Zealand. On Friday, the Men in Blue left the 15-year-old out of the playing XI for the fourth T20I at Eden Park in Auckland, making way for a fit-again Ishan Kishan, who had recovered from a groin injury that kept him out of the previous two matches. Scorecard | UpdatesCaptain Shreyas Iyer confirmed the change after winning the toss and opting to bowl, with India reverting to their preferred top three of Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Kishan. The decision, however, came just two days after Sooryavanshi and Abhishek combined to produce one of the most extraordinary batting displays in T20I history.The opening pair smashed 118 runs in the first six overs of India's chase of 199 in the third T20I in Wellington, setting a world record for the highest powerplay total in men's T20Is. Sooryavanshi contributed a blistering 45 off 19 deliveries, while Abhishek hammered 113 off just 38 balls as India completed the chase in 13.2 overs to take an unassailable 3-0 lead.GREAT MESSAGE: FLEMINGDespite that performance, India chose to restore their established combination. Former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming, however, believes the decision sends a positive message to the dressing room, particularly when it comes to giving established players the confidence to play without worrying about their places. "His time will come, he will be that person, that incumbent," Fleming told Sony Sports of Sooryavanshi."But I think it's a great message because it's a really inconsistent game. You're asking players to go out there and play at a really high level of skill and risk, and if they feel that they're compromised and they start double-guessing because their place is under threat, then they don't have that freedom to go out and play right on the edge of their skill level, right on the edge of the limits." Fleming attributed India's fearless approach with the bat to the sense of security and belonging created by the coaching group, adding that the team's cohesion had allowed its players to keep pushing the boundaries of the game.India head coach Gautam Gambhir had made a similar point last month while explaining Sooryavanshi's limited opportunities. Speaking after the Afghanistan T20I series, he said the youngster had to wait for his chance, with established performers taking precedence."We know the kind of talent he has. We know what he can do. But again, someone who has done extremely well over a period of years will always be ahead of someone who has just got into the team. Whenever he gets that chance, you will get a longer run as well," Gambhir had said.The India coach also stressed that selection was not dictated by outside noise or social media pressure. "We want to create that security in that dressing room," he said, explaining why the team was reluctant to break up a successful combination.Shreyas Iyer had echoed his coach's sentiments on the eve of the New Zealand series, insisting that Sooryavanshi had plenty of time to establish himself in international cricket."It's important that a talent like him should always be happy around the dressing room. He is very young, he has more years to get opportunities. It's not like he can walk in right now, because our openers are scoring consistently, and they have won the World Cup," Iyer had said.Sooryavanshi featured in only two matches on the New Zealand tour after being overlooked throughout the preceding five-match T20I series against the West Indies. He had also spent the Afghanistan series on the sidelines, despite being in impressive form on the Zimbabwe tour.- Ends