Abhishek Sharma number 3, Sanju Samson-Vaibhav Suryavanshi will open! Kaif decided India’s new batting order before Ireland series

New Delhi. The Indian cricket team is currently going through a major phase of change. Now the mission in front of Team India is the future, where efforts are on to groom young players and test them on the big stage. Just before the upcoming T20 series against Ireland, former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif has given a very shocking and big statement regarding the team’s combination and future roadmap. Kaif believes that 15-year-old young sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who has created a stir with his batting in domestic cricket and IPL, should be immediately included in the playing-11 and he should be made to open.

Speaking openly on his YouTube channel, Mohammad Kaif not only advocated the debut of Vaibhav Suryavanshi, but also put a new equation in front of the selectors regarding the batting order of the team. This statement of Kaif has started a new debate in the Indian cricket circles before the Ireland series.

Vaibhav opens with Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma goes to number 3
There are many speculations about what the opening pair will be in the T20 series against Ireland. But Mohammad Kaif has completely solved this dilemma. Kaif believes that experienced wicketkeeper batsman Sanju Samson should continue to play in his regular position i.e. as an opener. At the same time, young Vaibhav Suryavanshi should be fielded as his partner. Regarding the role of Abhishek Sharma, Kaif said that he should be sent to bat at number 3 in this series. Kaif argues that Abhishek has got a lot of opportunities in the recent past, so now the team management needs to think ahead of him.

Mohammad Kaif said, ‘I believe that since you have set the criteria only on performance, you will have to include Vaibhav Suryavanshi in the playing-11 at any cost. For this you will have to shift Abhishek Sharma to number 3. You start opening with Vaibhav and Sanju Samson. There are many left-handed batsmen in this Indian team, so there seems to be no better option than this.

‘If you have moved ahead from Suryakumar and Rohit, then why not from Abhishek?’
Mohammad Kaif also talked about the thinking of the selectors, giving the example of the recent major changes of Team India. He reminded how Indian cricket has started looking beyond the senior players after winning big tournaments. Kaif said, ‘After winning the T20 World Cup 2026, we have moved ahead of Suryakumar Yadav. At the same time, after the ICC Champions Cup title win, we started looking beyond Rohit Sharma. When we can move ahead from such big giants, now the selectors will have to see which player can give us his services for a long time in future.

Regarding Abhishek Sharma, Kaif clearly said that he and Sanju Samson have already got enough opportunities to prove their ability. Now the time has come for the selectors to think ahead and give a chance to the player who is currently in the best form of his career.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi is the ‘Orange Cap’ winner of IPL 2026
Kaif has very strong data and logic behind his advocacy of Vaibhav Suryavanshi. Vaibhav has impressed the legends with his aggressive batting at a very young age. While praising him, Kaif said that at present no one is playing better than Vaibhav Suryavanshi in Indian cricket. Vaibhav Suryavanshi has been the ‘Orange Cap’ winner of IPL 2026, where he destroyed the best bowlers in the world. At a very young age, Vaibhav has made many big records in his name on the cricket field and has destroyed many old records.

‘Vaibhav Suryavanshi will create a series of records’
Kaif believes that Vaibhav has the ability to create a series of records in international cricket in the future. This statement of Mohammad Kaif has become a matter of big consideration for the Indian think-tank and selectors just before the Ireland series. On one hand, pushing an established young player like Abhishek Sharma to number 3 could be a big risk, on the other hand, keeping IPL Orange Cap winner Vaibhav Suryavanshi on the bench would be unfair to his excellent form and talent.
Now it will be interesting to see whether the captain and coach adopt this ‘master strategy’ of Mohammad Kaif in the first T20 match against Ireland or the team continues on its old path. But one thing is clear that in the form of Vaibhav Suryavanshi, India has got such a diamond, who cannot be stopped from shining on the international cricket stage for long.