India T20I captain Shreyas Iyer has stressed that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will need to wait for his opportunity rather than expect an immediate place in the playing XI. The Indian team is preparing for a five-match T20I series against New Zealand, beginning on October 22.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi remains part of India's squad, but competition at the top of the order has limited his recent opportunities. Iyer believes the teenager can use the tour to understand overseas conditions and prepare himself for future assignments, even if he does not feature in every match.

It is important that a talent like him is always happy in the dressing room - Shreyas Iyer on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

Shreyas Iyer acknowledged Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's potential but pointed out that India's established opening batters Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson have consistently delivered for the team. With the senior players having played a key role in India's T20 World Cup triumph, the young left-hander will have to remain patient while learning from the squad.

"It is important that a talent like him is always happy in the dressing room, and he is really young. He has many more years to get an opportunity.

"It is not as if he (Vaibhav Sooryavanshi) can walk straight into this team, because our openers are also scoring consistently and they have won us the World Cup also. If you look at it, whenever we come overseas, he will get a fair idea of how to play here. So next time when he comes in these conditions, he will be well prepared," Shreyas Iyer said during the pre-series press conference, as quoted by RevSportz.

Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson's individual and partnership numbers

India have several established options competing for places in the top order, including Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson. Their T20I records show the challenge facing Sooryavanshi as he looks to break into the side.

Abhishek Sharma has scored 2,071 runs in 67 T20Is, with a highest score of 135 and a strike rate of 194.09. He has registered three centuries and 14 half-centuries, alongside 199 fours and 143 sixes. His scoring rate makes him a significant attacking option at the top of the order.

Samson, meanwhile, has accumulated 1,735 runs in 77 T20Is at a strike rate of 159.32. His record includes three centuries, 10 half-centuries, 150 fours and 103 sixes, with a highest score of 111.

Their partnership record also reflects India's attacking approach. Abhishek Sharma and Samson have scored 1,125 runs together in 38 innings, with a highest partnership of 142. They have remained unbeaten together on six occasions, averaging 29.60 runs per partnership.

These numbers highlight the competition Vaibhav Sooryavanshi faces, with India's existing opening combinations offering both consistency and scoring power.

I feel you should be flexible with what the team demands in a particular situation - Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer also discussed the importance of adapting to different batting positions. He explained that players must be prepared to adjust their roles according to match situations rather than insist on batting in one fixed position.

"I feel you should be flexible with what the team demands in a particular situation. If we look at here, we have so many batters who cannot be so destructive in the lower order, but I feel that I can bat at any number, depending on the situation. If you see in the last World Cup, Ishan Kishan was batting consistently at No.3 and he is the No.1 ranked batter right now. I don't force myself to push for the top order, but if we look at it, every individual in the team has to be flexible," Iyer said.

"The conditions will demand it, the situation will demand it, and you will have to be happy with whatever number you get. It cannot be that one player can only play in one particular position," he added.