India head coach Gautam Gambhir has urged Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to remain patient after the youngster was left out of India’s Playing XI for the T20I series against Afghanistan.

The 19-year-old has been in and out of India’s T20I setup after being brought in as a replacement for Sanju Samson during the series against England. However, after three low scores, Sooryavanshi made way for the more experienced Samson and Abhishek Sharma.

Sooryavanshi was also left out of the squad for the T20I series against Zimbabwe before being included for the Afghanistan series.

Gambhir Explains Sooryavanshi’s Absence

India’s recent 3-0 T20I series win over Afghanistan led to a conversation between Gambhir and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The India coach said he spoke personally to the youngster about his situation.

Gambhir acknowledged that Sooryavanshi was in good form but explained that breaking into the Playing XI would not be straightforward with established performers ahead of him.

“It was a new experience for me as well. Yes, he was in good form, but I made him understand that sometimes, because of the players who have done well for a long time, he will have to wait for his opportunity. And there’s one more thing, social media or outside noise doesn’t decide the playing eleven. It depends on who in that dressing room, or what the coach and captain feel can win us the match, or what is the best playing eleven, and who have done well for such a long time,” Gambhir said on JioStar’s ‘Follow the Blues’ show.

Samson And Abhishek Retain Gambhir’s Backing

Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma have emerged as India’s preferred opening combination. Samson was Player of the Tournament during India’s successful 2026 T20 World Cup campaign, while both batters have produced strong performances at the top of the order.

The pair have scored 794 runs from 33 innings at an average of 29.5, giving the team management a reason to maintain continuity.

‘Sometimes You Will Have To Wait’

Gambhir acknowledged that dropping either Samson or Abhishek would be a difficult decision because of the impact the opening pair has created over the past couple of years.

"If Vaibhav plays today, then it's going to be a tough conversation between me and whoever we leave out, whether it's Abhishek or whether it's Sanju. So, we can't suddenly ignore a combination that has created such an impact over the last one and a half or two years, and after three or four failures, drop them and play a young player who is very talented, who is also in very good form. So, sometimes you will have to wait for your opportunity because we want to create that security in that dressing room,” the coach added.

Sooryavanshi Waits For His Next Opportunity

Despite being outside the current Playing XI, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continues to remain part of India’s wider plans. The youngster was given another opportunity at the Asian Games after being overlooked for the one-off T20I against Japan.

For now, Gambhir’s message is clear: Sooryavanshi will need to remain patient while India continue to back the established opening combination.