“Vaibhav Suryavanshi will have to go out” – Former IPL winner’s blunt remark amid NZ vs IND 2026 T20Is

Former IPL winner Mohammad Kaif reflected on Vaibhav Suryavanshi‘s place in the team for the remainder of the T20I series against New Zealand. The Men in Blue are 3-0 up, having won the series, with two games to go.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi came into the playing XI with Ishan Kishan missing out due to injury. In the third T20I, Suryavanshi opened and scored a 19-ball 45. However, Mohammad Kaif reckoned that the 15-year-old would have to sit out if Kishan returned to the XI to maintain the balance of the team.

“You cannot change the lower order to try and fit in all four. Naman and Nitish bowl as well. No one has a doubt about Vaibhav’s talent. Everyone knows what he can do. That is why he was fast-tracked and got into the squad. Who will go out if Ishan comes? Then I think they will go with the same combination. Vaibhav will have to go out. He came in due to Kishan’s injury, not bad form,” he said in a video on his YouTube channel.

India played Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Kishan, and Suryavanshi together in the Asian Games 2026 in Japan. However, Kaif opined that the same could not be done here in New Zealand due to different conditions. With high-scoring games, he reckoned that a sixth bowling option was non-negotiable, which meant that Vaibhav Suryavanshi could only come in if one of the other three was injured or out of form.

“In Japan, they played an extra batter in spinning conditions. But here, where so many runs are being scored, you cannot take a chance with just five bowlers. We are batting well anyway. It’s not like we are not scoring without Vaibhav. So on such tracks, we will need the sixth bowler. So this is how it will be with Vaibhav. If anyone is injured or something, he will come in. For now, he cannot get ahead of Abhishek, Samson, and Ishan.”

Should Ishan Kishan be fit for the fourth T20I, it remains to be seen what combination India will go with. The game will be played on Friday, October 30, in Auckland.

Mohammad Kaif praises Vaibhav Suryavanshi for his comeback

Mohammad Kaif was also impressed with the way Vaibhav Suryavanshi made the most of the opportunity after failing in the second T20I. Batting at number three in the second game, he made just four runs off eight balls. However, he proved his worth and played his natural game when he was promoted to open in the third T20I.

“When Vaibhav came at three, he was not in the flow and was low in confidence. But when he got to open, the switch that he made, it shows how mentally strong he is. It is not easy. He did it in just two days. It is not easy after regularly sitting out and not knowing about your future with uncertainty. I hope there are some clear instructions for him from the management. He deserves a lot of credit. He did not let the pressure get the better of him and knows how to come back. It was a test for him too, as Sanju was dropped to three for him to open,” he said.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s 19-ball 45 was laced with four boundaries and as many sixes at a strike rate of 236.84. Should he get another opportunity to open in the remainder of the series, he will aim to carry this form and deliver at the top.

Edited by Rishab Vm