New Delhi . The Indian team is going to play a five-match T20 series on the New Zealand tour, which will start from October 22 in Christchurch. In this series, the discussion has intensified on whether young batsman Vaibhav Suryavanshi will get a place in the playing-11 or he will have to wait. Giving his opinion on this matter, former Indian batsman Cheteshwar Pujara has said that it will not be easy for Vaibhav to make a place in the playing eleven in the conditions of New Zealand.
According to Pujara, it is very important for any team to prepare the right combination in foreign conditions. In New Zealand, the team may need such players who can contribute in bowling along with batting. In such a situation, a strategy of including more all-rounders in the playing-11 can be adopted. This may also affect the available space for batsmen in the top order.
Referring to the role of Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Pujara said that either one of them can be given the responsibility of opening. According to him, considering the conditions in New Zealand, it may be difficult to include these two players together in the final eleven. For this reason, Vaibhav may have to wait for opportunities in the initial matches. However, Pujara also made it clear that the young batsman may get further opportunities.
Indian team captain Shreyas Iyer has also earlier stressed on the importance of opening batsmen like Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson. These players have made important contributions to the team and their positions remain strong due to their consistent run scoring. In such a situation, the team management will be faced with the challenge of balancing the inclusion of young players with experienced and established batsmen.
The path for Vaibhav Suryavanshi to make a place in the team may also be affected by the fitness of the players and the needs of the team. If any player's fitness issue emerges or circumstances require a change in the combination, then Vaibhav may get a chance. At present, the decision regarding the playing eleven will depend on the strategy of the team management and the needs of the series.
Meanwhile, Cheteshwar Pujara also expressed his views on Sanju Samson's recent performance. He defended Sanju when asked about the ups and downs in his game. Pujara believes that it is normal for batsmen to change their performance in T20 cricket. Maintaining consistency in every match in this format is not as easy as it is generally believed.
According to Pujara, it would not be right to consider Sanju Samson completely out of form. Sometimes in T20 cricket, a batsman just needs one good innings to regain his momentum. He believes that Sanju can make a comeback as per his potential and there is a possibility of improvement in his performance.
The five-match series against New Zealand will be an opportunity for the Indian team to test its combination of players. On one hand, the role of batsmen like Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma will be important, while on the other hand, attention will also be given to giving a chance to a young player like Vaibhav Suryavanshi. Now it remains to be seen what combination the team management comes up with in the initial matches and when Vaibhav gets the opportunity to show his ability at the international level.