Morkel backs Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to learn from the dugout as his India wait goes on

India's bowling coach says Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is being schooled off the field, with the 15-year-old again expected to watch from the dugout when the West Indies T20I series opens in Lucknow

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is in India's squad of 15 for the five-match T20I series against West Indies, which begins at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium on Tuesday. He is not expected to be in the XI.

The teenager has yet to play an international on Indian soil. He was carried through the Afghanistan T20I series without a game, and at the Asian Games he was used only when India's selectors wanted a look at a third opener.

India's bowling coach Morne Morkel was asked in Lucknow how a player of that age keeps improving while sitting out, and his answer was that the dressing room is doing the teaching.

Learning from the bus and the dugout

"We all know the talent of Vaibhav. I think the more time he spends in this environment, with quality players, the more time he trains at this standard, it will only be great for his cricket," Morkel said.

"If he's not getting that game time, he's still on a bus, in the dugout, in the hotel with guys with a lot of experience," the coach added, describing the squad itself as the classroom.

Morkel said he puts the questions to the batter directly: "I always ask him on the bus, 'what's the one thing you've learned today? Tell me, what did you think about that guy's batting?' And that makes him think."

The openers ahead of him

The block is a settled one. Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson have the top of the order, and the captain has made clear that form alone will not move them.

"We have been playing with World Cup-winning openers right now, and they deserve the time out there, and he's still in the 15," Shreyas Iyer said of Sooryavanshi this week.

Iyer, who leads India in T20Is with Tilak Varma as his deputy, added that the wait is a matter of timing rather than ability: "When his time comes, he is going to dominate Indian cricket."

A record already built

Sooryavanshi, born in March 2011, became the youngest player to represent India when he made his T20I debut against England at Old Trafford on 4 July 2026, aged 15 years and 99 days.

Three weeks later he made 151 runs across three T20Is in Zimbabwe and was named player of the series, the only extended run he has had in the side.

His 2026 Indian Premier League season for Rajasthan Royals brought 776 runs and the Orange Cap, along with 72 sixes, a tournament record that passed Chris Gayle's 59.

Earlier in the year he had hit 175 from 80 balls against England in the Under-19 World Cup final, the innings that turned a promising teenager into a selection question.

Glimpses at the Asian Games

India's gold medal in Aichi-Nagoya gave him two short outings. He made 38 from 21 balls in the semi-final against Sri Lanka, opening alongside Abhishek Sharma.

In the gold-medal match against Pakistan he made 15 from nine balls before falling, leaving him 53 runs from the tournament.

That combination was built for a specific event, and Morkel was careful not to present it as the template for this series. "That's the combination they felt for them at the Asian Games. We'll work out tonight here what is the best combination for us going into the series," he said.

A series to settle the side

India arrive having taken the one-day leg against West Indies 2-1, and with most of the Asian Games group retained for the T20Is.

Morkel indicated the XI would not be fixed until the squad had recovered from the journey. "We'll all assess how everybody's feeling after jet lag, after travelling, and then from there, make a plan," he said.

West Indies, led by Shai Hope, start the series without a settled wicketkeeping option after Jewel Andrew's finger injury, with Amir Jangoo called in as cover.

The first T20I begins at 7pm IST in Lucknow, with four more to follow.

Catch the match live updates, highlights, and full match coverage on CricRadio. Get fast, accurate, and ad-free updates throughout the game. Download the CricRadio app from the Play Store to stay connected. You can also get the live scores of cricket series directly on the CricRadio website for real-time coverage.