India, Nov. 2 -- The second T20I between India and New Zealand in Christchurch marked the first time Vaibhav Sooryavanshi batted at No. 3 in his career. And he looked completely at sea. Eight balls, seven minutes and four runs. Welcomed with a 143.5 kmph bouncer and dropped once, Sooryavanshi eventually offered a simple catch and departed. After the long layoff, a break in concentration was understandable. He looked far more assured in the next game, smashing a 19-ball 45, but was overshadowed by Abhishek Sharma's whirlwind century. Two days later, Sooryavanshi was back to square one, dropped to make way for the returning Ishan Kishan.

The Indian think-tank's message is clear: he is not a first-choice in this T20I team.

Meanwhile, not t...