{
  "id": 7939620,
  "title": "Why is India T20 sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi on the bench?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/why-is-india-t20-sensation-vaibhav-sooryavanshi-on-the-bench-7939620",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-17T03:05:55.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National Business",
    "slug": "the-national-business",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/cricket/2026/09/17/why-is-india-t20-sensation-vaibhav-sooryavanshi-on-the-bench/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "India's recent T20 series victory over Afghanistan in Delhi saw the country's young sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi benchwarmed for the third match against the Afghan team. Despite posting similar scores of 156-8 and 159-8 in the first two games, India chose experienced opener Abhishek Sharma and wicketkeeper Abishek Samson for the third game. Samson, who played a crucial role in India's T20 World Cup triumph, expressed his understanding of the decision, as Sooryavanshi's impressive form in the Indian Premier League (IPL) evidently warranted his inclusion. Although Sooryavanshi's stellar run of 97 runs in a single match has captured the cricket world's attention, his absence from the third match could be difficult to justify. The Indian team will likely have to reassess their top order strategy for the upcoming ODI and T20 World Cups in South Africa and Australia, where faster pitches demand a more robust batting lineup.",
  "summary": "India barely broke a sweat as they secured a T20 series win over Afghanistan in Delhi. The Afghans were 'hosting' India at the Arun Jaitley Stadium – they have had similar arrangements with other cricket boards – but it was the double world champions who felt at home as they completed near identical seven-wicket wins in the first two matches. In both games, Afghanistan batted first and posted…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National UAE",
        "title": "Why is India T20 sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi on the bench?",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/why-is-india-t20-sensation-vaibhav-sooryavanshi-on-the-bench",
        "published": "2026-09-17T03:05:55.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}