IND vs AFG: Why is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi not Playing for India Today? Explained

India are up against Afghanistan in the first T20I encounter of the three-match series today (September 13). The match is being played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.

India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to field first, as the Indian team has named a strong lineup for this match.

Why is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi not playing?

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi hasn't got an opportunity as India have moved forward with Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson at the top.

The decision appears to be primarily about team combination and managing the workload of the 15-year-old. Sooryavanshi has played a demanding stretch of cricket, including the Duleep Trophy, where he featured deep into the tournament. He had also played all three T20Is during India's recent series in Zimbabwe, finishing as the Player of the Series after scoring 151 runs.

India's management has opted for experience in the opener's role, bringing Samson back after his omission from the Zimbabwe series. Captain Shreyas Iyer had earlier admitted that choosing between Samson, Sooryavanshi and Abhishek was a tight call.

Sooryavanshi remains part of India's plans and is expected to have opportunities during the three-match series.

IND vs AFG 1st T20I Playing 11

India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Shreyas Iyer (c), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah

Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran (c), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi

India vs Afghanistan T20I Series Squads

Afghanistan Squad: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran(c), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor ul Rahman, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Nangeyalia Kharoti

India Squad: Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi, Sanju Samson, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy