{"id":2935,"date":"2026-10-25T09:36:57","date_gmt":"2026-10-25T09:36:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2026\/10\/25\/ashwin-questions-sooryavanshi-no-3-spot-india-nz-t20i\/"},"modified":"2026-10-25T09:36:57","modified_gmt":"2026-10-25T09:36:57","slug":"ashwin-questions-sooryavanshi-no-3-spot-india-nz-t20i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2026\/10\/25\/ashwin-questions-sooryavanshi-no-3-spot-india-nz-t20i\/","title":{"rendered":"Ashwin questions Sooryavanshi\u2019s No.\u202f3 spot after India\u2019s T20 loss to New\u202fZealand"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- Quick Adsense WordPress Plugin: http:\/\/quickadsense.com\/ -->\n<div class=\"9fece8afa224fd09e54b043d0febfb58\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- NR ATF -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8898941184964366\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"4839033563\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p>Spin veteran Ravichandran Ashwin voiced concern over Vaibhav Sooryavanshi\u2019s placement at the No\u202f3 slot in India\u2019s second Twenty\u201120 International against New\u202fZealand in Christchurch. The 19\u2011year\u2011old, who was drafted into the playing eleven as a replacement for the injured Ishan Kishan, managed only four runs from eight deliveries after arriving at the crease in the sixth over.<\/p>\n<h2>Unfamiliar role and a brief cameo<\/h2>\n<p>Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma opened the innings for India, leaving Sooryavanshi to navigate a position he has not previously occupied at the international level. Ashwin described the youngster\u2019s effort as a &#8220;miss&#8221; but cautioned against a harsh verdict, noting that for a young cricketer the term may be premature. &#8220;He just found himself a little like a fish out of water,&#8221; Ashwin said, adding that Sooryavanshi &#8220;kept going hard for the eight balls&#8221; but failed to time the ball properly.<\/p>\n<p>The spin bowler emphasized that the teenage batter would have benefited from guidance from a senior partner at the crease. &#8220;You need a senior partner to walk down and say, &#8216;Calm down, just hang in there, look to play close to your body, watch the ball better.'&#8221; Ashwin explained that such advice could have helped Sooryavanshi settle into the unfamiliar role, especially after walking in during the sixth over, which he described as &#8220;not his cup of tea.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>Ashwin\u2019s suggested reshuffle and middle\u2011order praise<\/h2>\n<p>When asked whether India should retain Sooryavanshi at No\u202f3, Ashwin suggested a possible reshuffle. He noted that the combination of Samson and Abhishek Sharma could be retained, but Samson might need to shift down the order to the No\u202f3 position \u2013 a role he has previously performed for the national side. &#8220;If they are going to go with this combination, I am not too sure Vaibhav has got to bat at number three,&#8221; Ashwin said, adding that the innings was a miss for the teenager.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond Sooryavanshi\u2019s cameo, Ashwin offered high praise for India\u2019s middle order, highlighting the contributions of Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Ramandeep Singh in chasing New\u202fZealand\u2019s target of 180. He described the trio occupying the six, seven and eight positions as &#8220;dangerous&#8221; and capable of striking the ball hard.<\/p>\n<p>Specifically, Ashwin lauded Ramandeep Singh as a &#8220;very good hitter of pace bowling&#8221; who can also dominate spin. He referenced Singh\u2019s ability to &#8220;club&#8221; the deliveries of New\u202fZealand spinner Mitchell Santner, calling the feat \u201cno joke\u201d and a testament to the batter\u2019s skill and temperament. Ashwin also praised Varma\u2019s composure, saying he \u201cechoes great temperament.\u201d While he expressed uncertainty about Nitish Kumar Reddy\u2019s temperament, he acknowledged the power the lower middle order brings, noting that \u201cthere is enough power for teams to be concerned about.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Implications for future line\u2011ups<\/h2>\n<p>Ashwin\u2019s comments come as India looks to fine\u2011tune its batting order ahead of the remainder of the series. The spin maestro\u2019s suggestion to move Samson to No\u202f3, while retaining Abhishek Sharma at the top, could provide a more experienced anchor for the early middle overs. Such a change would also allow Sooryavanshi to return to a role more aligned with his skill set, potentially at a later position where he can bat with a senior partner.\n<\/p>\n<p>By highlighting the need for mentorship at the crease, Ashwin underscored a broader strategic point: young talent thrives when paired with seasoned players who can offer real\u2011time guidance. The spin bowler\u2019s appraisal of the middle order\u2019s power and temperament suggests confidence in the depth of India\u2019s batting pool, even as the team evaluates the optimal placement for its emerging stars.<\/p>\n<p>As the series progresses, the Indian management will have to weigh Ashwin\u2019s observations against performance data and team balance. Whether Sooryavanshi will be given another opportunity at No\u202f3, shifted down the order, or kept in reserve remains to be seen, but the spin veteran\u2019s candid assessment adds a noteworthy perspective to the ongoing tactical debate.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Spin maestro Ravichandran Ashwin said teenage Vaibhav Sooryavanshi looked out of depth at No\u202f3 in the second T20I against New\u202fZealand and urged a rethink of his role.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2936,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[299],"tags":[1739,3278,3277,2863,2014],"class_list":["post-2935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-india-cricket","tag-middle-order","tag-ravichandran-ashwin","tag-t20-international","tag-vaibhav-sooryavanshi","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2935","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2935"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2935\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2936"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}