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Former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara believes it may take some time before Vaibhav Sooryavanshi gets his chance in the T20I series against England. The 15-year-old’s international debut has been a major talking point, especially after India’s 0-2 series defeat to Ireland.“There is a lot of hype around him, and as a young player, he shouldn’t be focusing on what is being said about him. I think it is important to keep the outside noise away from him, and the best way to do it is to just focus on the game. I don’t think he will get an opportunity straight up,” Cheteshwar Pujara said on Star Sports.Pujara highlighted why he does not expect Sooryavanshi to break into the playing XI immediately, as the team management is likely to stick with the World Cup-winning top order of Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan.“The Indian team would not want to change their top three, and I don’t think Vaibhav will get his opportunity in the first 2 or 3 games. Once the Indian team starts doing well, whenever there is an opportunity in rotation, that is when Vaibhav will come into the playing XI. What he has done in the IPL, it won’t be easy to replicate the same thing in English conditions,” he added.Vaibhav was included in India’s T20I squad ahead of the Ireland and England series following a sensational IPL campaign, but he is yet to make his international debut.The youngster arrived in the national squad in outstanding form after smashing a record 11-ball List A fifty for India A against Sri Lanka A in Dambulla.Vaibhav also has experience of playing in English conditions, having toured the country with India’s Under-19 team in 2025. He finished as the leading run-scorer in that one-day series, scoring 355 runs at an average of 71 and a strike rate of 174.
