Sooryavanshi was ready for debut from the time he came into Indian squad: Sitanshu Kotak

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was set to make his debut from the time he was named in the Indian squad, said batting coach Sitanshu Kotak on Monday, asserting that there wasn’t anything specific that the team management was working on to prepare the young batting sensation.

At 15 years and 99 days, Sooryavanshi became the youngest Indian ever to play international cricket when he was named in the playing eleven for the second T20I against England last week.

“He was set to debut from the point he came into the team; there is no such thing that he was ready (for his debut only) in the last match,” Kotak told reporters on the eve of the third T20I against England.

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“For us, it was all about his game, his instincts and the way he plays, and the way he has played all along to get till this point, he should continue playing that.” “I do not think there were any precise instructions (that he’s been given) to do this, or do that,” Kotak added.

The former Saurashtra batter said the Indian team is now in transition under a new captain Shreyas Iyer and without a quality all-rounder in Hardik Pandya.

“See, our attempt is to improve in all three (departments); batting, bowling, and fielding. (From) the last World Cup which we won, the plan is that if the next World Cup comes in next two years, then how can we reach the next level from this? Because all other teams will also try to get better.

“In the last two years, we haven’t lost a single series. We won the (T20) World Cup, we won the Asia Cup T20. (But) after losing two (three) matches, so many people have said ‘they are losing now’,” Kotak said.

“It is (the nature of the) game. Sometimes, when there is a transition- the captain has changed, Hardik is not there, (and) you are trying to introduce 3-4 young players- even then, it should not happen, but such things can happen. The Indian team’s efforts remain the same.

“Everyone has their limitations, but we always try that (to improve) in batting, bowling, and fielding. If we are looking at winning the next World Cup, we will have to get better. We have to do better than what we have done in the last World Cup,” Kotak said.

Kotak said a fast bowling all-rounder is always essential in T20 cricket and in the absence of Pandya, others like Nitish Kumar Reddy and even Suryansh Shedge are being given the exposure.

“In T20, pace bowling all-rounders play a very important role if you count one as the sixth bowler,” Kotak said.

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“In this team, there is Suryansh, who did well in the IPL. With all these young players, all 15 players might not get to play but, at least if they are with the team, they will get used to the environment. In between, there is a lot of cricket, domestic, and IPL.

“The way Hardik performs and the quality and the experience he has, to match that, Nitish (injured now) is getting experience. Suryansh, he has just joined the team. But if you look at the process, the BCCI, the selectors, and the team management always try to prepare the best for an event even if it is two years away,” he added.

Published on Jul 06, 2026