Will Vaibhav Sooryavanshi play today? How much did India star score against New Zealand in 1st T20I

India open their five-match T20I series in New Zealand on Thursday at Hagley Oval in Christchurch, seven months after beating the Black Caps by 96 runs in the T20 World Cup final.

Shreyas Iyer leads the side with Tilak Varma as his deputy, while Mitchell Santner captains the hosts. One name is still waiting for a chance.

Fans once again remain excited to know if 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will finally return to the fray for Team India. The left-hander last played for India in the Asian Games scoring 53 runs across two innings against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

He remained on the sidelines in the five-match series against West Indies. But with the New Zealand series once again offering five T20Is, he's got the chance to finally get another outing for team India.

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Will Vaibhav Sooryavanshi play today in the 1st T20I at Hagley Oval, Christchurch?

It looks unlikely, although the final XI will only be confirmed at the toss. The predicted teams for Christchurch again have Abhishek and Samson at the top, with Ishan Kishan, Iyer and Tilak Varma following in the middle order.

Iyer made the position clear before the series. "It's not like he can walk in right now, because our openers are scoring consistently, and they have won the World Cup," the India captain said.

He added that playing in these conditions will help Sooryavanshi in the future.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi score today in New Zealand vs India 1st T20I

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi score will be updated if he plays the 1st T20I for India in New Zealand.

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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's score in last five T20Is

Sooryavanshi's most recent outing for India came in the Asian Games gold medal match against Pakistan, where he made 15. He has 246 runs in eight T20Is at an average of 30.75, with a highest score of 81 against Zimbabwe in July.