India vs New Zealand 1st T20I predicted XI: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi unlikely to start ahead of Sanju Samson or Abhishek Sharma

Shreyas Iyer says Vaibhav Sooryavanshi cannot walk into the India XI with the current openers in form.

Sooryavanshi has played only eight of India's last 21 T20Is since his maiden call-up.

Iyer confirmed he will not move up the order with Ishan Kishan settled at No. 3.

IND vs NZ 1st T20I predicted XI: Why Shreyas Iyer says Vaibhav Sooryavanshi cannot walk into the side

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is unlikely to start the first T20I against New Zealand in Christchurch on Thursday. Captain Shreyas Iyer has stressed that Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson have done nothing to lose their places at the top of the order.

The teenager has featured in only eight of the 21 T20Is India has played since he was picked for the England and Ireland tour earlier this year. Abhishek and Samson have held the opening slots throughout, and both have played key roles in India's successful defence of their T20 World Cup title.

Speaking on the eve of the series, Iyer was asked about the youngster's limited game time and first stressed that the dressing room environment is relevant for a player of that age. "It's important that a talent like him (Sooryavanshi) should always be happy around the dressing room," Iyer said.

He then explained why the selection maths does not work in the teenager's favour, pointing to the runs and the trophy the incumbents have delivered. "He is very young; he has more years to get opportunities. It's not like he can walk in right now, because our openers are scoring consistently, and they have won the World Cup."

Iyer did argue that the trip still has value even if Sooryavanshi carries the drinks, because the exposure to pace-friendly wickets will serve him later in his career.

The India captain said, "So, if you see, when he is coming overseas, he will get a fair idea of how to play on these particular wickets. Next time, whenever he comes in these conditions, he will be very well-prepared. And he can also instruct the other team members, whoever comes here for the first time."

Shreyas Iyer rules out moving up the order with Ishan Kishan at No. 3

The other way India could have accommodated Sooryavanshi was by reshuffling the middle order, as they did at the Asian Games when Samson dropped to number three to let the youngster open. Iyer, though, has ruled out pushing himself higher to create room.

"I feel that (with regards to) the team demands in a particular situation, you should be flexible. And if you see here, there are a lot of batsmen who, lower down the order, can't be that destructive. I feel that I can bat at any number. It depends upon the situation. What is the situation of the game at that point?" said Iyer.

He was firmer when the conversation turned to Kishan, who has made the number three position his own and leaves the captain content to stay at four or five. "Now, if you see in the last World Cup, Kishan was consistently batting at number three, and he is a number one batsman right now. So, I don't foresee myself pushing myself up the order."

India arrive in New Zealand after a heavy block of cricket that included home series against Afghanistan and the West Indies, as well as the Asian Games. The five-match series begins at 12:30 p.m. IST, with conditions expected to favour the quicks far more than the flat home surfaces.

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Iyer's reasoning is difficult to fault on its own terms. Abhishek and Samson are World Cup winners who keep scoring, and no captain drops a settled opening pair to fast-track a teenager. Eight appearances in 21 matches is not neglect either, given who stands ahead of him.

The problem is the argument Iyer used to soften it. Learning how overseas wickets behave from the dressing room is not the same as batting on them, and a player who watches four or five matches in New Zealand will not return better equipped than one who faced the new ball there.

India has a genuine selection luxury, and the captain called it a sweet headache. However, a five-match series is long enough to rest a frontline batter for a game without weakening the side. If Sooryavanshi does not play by the third or fourth match, the exposure argument starts to look like a line rather than a plan.

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