Vaibhav Suryavanshi (Photo ANI)

MUMBAI: Young batting sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s wait for his first India cap continued on Sunday as he was left out of the playing eleven for the second T20I against Ireland in Belfast, while the Indian team management stuck to its decision of playing opener Sanju Samson, India’s 2026 T20 World Cup hero, and explosive Abhishek Sharma, who scored 34 against the hosts in the opening T20I on Friday. Had scored a half-century in a spectacular defeat.India’s decision to keep the 15-year-old wonderboy of world cricket on the bench for the time being has sparked debate. Former England off spin legend graeme swann He feels that if he is left out, the destructive opening batsman from Bihar and Rajasthan Royals, described as a “generational talent”, would immediately make his India debut.“Well, if I was the Indian captain or coach, I would have included him immediately. I have said this, I am a big fan of Vaibhav. He is a generational talent and I would say get him in as soon as possible. The way he played in the IPL this year, starting last season and performing incredibly well, again everyone’s heads turned and wondered, who is this kid? I think there was an expectation that his performance this season would decline, drop off. Whatever it was, he got better and better. And that little blip in the middle of the IPL, one or two games where people thought, ‘Oh, if we bowl all the way there’s a weakness there.’ And he got him out with yorkers a few times. He got few marks. He adapted quickly and then scored at a breakneck pace in the next few innings. I think he’s a once in a generation talent, a generational talent that comes along. And I think the sooner India plays him, the sooner they expose him to international cricket. There is no reason why he can’t be the best player in the world for the next 15 years. I think he’s very good,” Swann said in a conversation on Sunday.Batting strongly for Suryavanshi’s inclusion, Swann said he was doing so “keeping in mind the logic of leaving out someone who doesn’t necessarily deserve to be left out,” simply because “Suryavanshi has done better than all of them in the IPL.”“Of course, I understand the sensibilities of singling him out and excluding someone who doesn’t necessarily deserve to be removed. And that’s where India have a bit of a problem at the moment, because when you look at the first XI, you look at the batting lineup, there’s really no one about whom you would say, okay, they deserve to be dropped based on performance. You could argue that, well, Suryavanshi has done better than most of them in the IPL. Let’s face it, their stats don’t lie. He hit more sixes than Chris Gayle. He scored more runs at a better rate than anyone. So, I will build an attack, a batting order around him. And yes, someone will miss out and it will be difficult for them after winning world trophies and everything like that and then potentially missing out. But if you can find a way to get him in and expose him, he can hit the best bowlers in the world all over the park and destroy them. We saw that.Swann cited Suryanshi’s brutal attack on Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins, who gave away 0-64 in four overs during his explosive innings of 97 off 29 balls in Eliminator 1 at IPL-2026 in New Chandigarh to strengthen his point about the exceptional batting skills of the left-handed opener. “The game that stood out for me was against Pat Cummins. He absolutely destroyed Cummins, who is one of the best bowlers on the planet. You know, he has blindsided almost every batsman in world cricket and Suryavanshi really treated him like a net bowler. It was incredible to see for the first time (as a commentator). So, the hype about him is real and it is really deserved.”Swann revealed that there were high expectations for Suryavanshi ahead of the five-match T20 series between India and England, which begins in Durham on July 1.“I go to my golf club in England. And they say, ‘Who is this kid? Have you seen him play?’ This does not happen. People don’t often talk about Indian cricket at Wollaton Park Golf Club. They moan about English cricket! But when I am coming to play golf and people are saying who is this kid who is playing for Rajasthan (Royals)? And who is this kid to destroy our Under-19 team (Suryanshi played a match-winning inning of 175 runs off 80 balls in the 2026 Under-19 World Cup final in Harare on 6 February this year)? It’s exciting to me,” Swann said.‘Washington is a very good bowler’There have been concerns about the form and utility of off-spinner Washington Sundar, who gave 0-19 an over and was out for nine in the first T20I against Ireland and was dropped on Sunday, but Swann, who took 255 wickets in 60 Tests @29.96, praised Sundar’s abilities.“Washington is a very good bowler. For the record, I think he can easily become a world-class spinner in all three formats (of the game). I was very impressed with the way he bowled in the recent Test and (ODI) series against Afghanistan. His seam presentation is exceptional, and the way he controls his line and length is really good. He uses his height well. He gets that flow. Spinners who get the drift and let the ball come laterally in the air are good and you can’t really coach them out, Swann said.Swann felt that Sundar was an asset due to his batting ability and backed the player to perform well in the upcoming white-ball series in England.“He is an all-rounder. So, a lot of the time for India, he will save games coming later as a batsman. And he scored a good (match-saving) century in a Test in England (in Manchester last year). He is a very good fielder, we know that. But if you can bat and bowl, at the end of the day you are a great option for your captain and coach. He is a good cricketer, and will do well in England. England In bowling, it is all about using spin. This white Kookaburra ball can really turn England. And with the lack of pace, you can be very effective as a spinner, stopping the pace, catching people in the deep, trying to hit people against the spin. So I am predicting a good series for Washi,” Swann concluded.(Watch India Tour of England 2026 – England vs India – 1st T20I on July 1, 2026 at 10:00 PM IST on Sony Sports Ten 1 SD & HD, Sony Sports Ten 3 SD & HD (Hindi), Sony Sports Ten 4 (Tamil, Telugu, Kannada), Sony Sports Ten 5 SD & HD, Sony Max).