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Before the five-match T20I series between India and New Zealand begins on Thursday, there is a question mark hanging over the playing XI. India’s think tank will have to decide which of the three openers — Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi — will play in the two opening spots. In the recent India vs West Indies series, Samson and Sharma played all five games with teenager Sooryavanshi on the bench throughout.

With 246 runs in eight innings at an average of 30.75 and a strike rate of 186.36, Sooryavanshi remains a formidable backup opener.

With uncertainty over whether Sooryavanshi will even play a single game in New Zealand, the hosts, on their part, have already held scouting sessions on the teenage phenom, pacer Jacob Duffy revealed.

“First of all, he’s an ​incredible ​talent. Obviously, he’s taken the IPL by storm and ⁠what’s amazing, he strikes it so hard but he does it so consistently,” Duffy told reporters on Tuesday. “He’s striking at 250 (strike-rate) every game and he’s ‌not missing out very often. So that’s incredible in itself. I think he played in England, so conditions will be a little bit different for him, so that’s obviously one thing for him to be challenged with. We’ve certainly had a good scouting session on him and got our plans as to what we want to do to him.”

Sooryavanshi made a name for himself in the Indian Premier League while playing for Rajasthan Royals. Since then, he’s been given a debut for India in the T20 series in England in July, thus becoming India’s youngest international in the men’s game.

While Sooryavanshi had a forgettable series against England, the teenager became the youngest player to score a half-century in men’s international ⁠cricket when ​he clobbered an 18-ball fifty against Zimbabwe. He also won an Asian Games gold medal in Japan as India defended their T20 cricket title.

Duffy said he had ⁠spoken to Hagley Oval’s head groundsman about what to expect from the wicket, hoping that it will not be a batter’s paradise ⁠like some subcontinent pitches.

“He’s from ‌Invercargill, so he’s promised me a little bit of bounce,” said Duffy, ​who was born in Lumsden, a small town near the ‌South Island city. “As long as it’s not Hyderabad, I’m happy.”

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