Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s return to India’s playing XI did not go as planned, with the 15-year-old failing to make a significant impact in the second T20I against New Zealand in Christchurch on Saturday.Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s comeback to India’s playing XI came after a prolonged wait on the sidelines, having missed all five T20Is against the West Indies and the first match of the ongoing series against New Zealand. His last appearance for India came in the 2026 Asian Games final against Pakistan, where India clinched the gold medal.Sooryavanshi earned his opportunity after Ishan Kishan sustained a right adductor strain during the series opener, ruling him out of the second match. However, the youngster could manage just four runs off eight deliveries before falling to Nathan Smith, leaving India in trouble in the run chase.

Sooryavanshi fails to make an impact

Smith bowled a hard-length delivery angled across the left-hander, who attempted an expansive drive but failed to find the middle of his bat. The ball travelled quickly and low towards cover, where Daryl Mitchell took a sharp catch to send the youngster back to the pavilion.

New Zealand’s first-innings summary

New Zealand posted 180/5 in their 20 overs after being asked to bat first, setting India a target of 181. The hosts built their innings through contributions across the batting order, putting pressure on the Indian bowlers.India were struggling at 83/5 after 12 overs, with Sooryavanshi, Shreyas Iyer among the wickets to fall.New Zealand (Playing XI): Finn Allen, Tim Seifert(w), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Bevon Jacobs, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner(c), Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy, Lockie FergusonIndia (Playing XI): Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav