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Vaibhav Suryavanshi for Bihar - (Source: AFP)
On Monday, December 8, the seventh round of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) kick-started across various venues in India. Eyes were on Bihar, which locked horns with Uttar Pradesh.
Interestingly, for Bihar, the 14-year-old wonderkid Vaibhav Suryavanshi was missing from the playing XI and was not present for the game. His absence left fans worried as the southpaw has been Bihar's promising cricketer and has added great value to the team.
Meanwhile, this article will shed light on the reason why Vaibhav Suryavanshi was not present for Bihar's SMAT 2025-26 game against Uttar Pradesh.
Why was Vaibhav Suryavanshi not present for the SMAT 2025-26 match?
Notably, Vaibhav has been selected for the India U-19 squad for the upcoming Men's U-19 Asia Cup 2025. The prestigious Under 19 event is all set to begin from December 12 with India U-19 taking on UAE U-19 in the curtain raiser.
Meanwhile, Vaibhav has already linked up with the Indian team to prepare for the Asia Cup and is currently in Dubai with the rest of the squad. Thus, the 14-year-old has left SMAT and missed the all-important game against Uttar Pradesh.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi in decent form in SMAT 2025
Vaibhav Suryavanshi has been in some fine form in SMAT 2025-26 as the left-handed batter scored 197 runs in six innings, averaging 39.40 and also featured a century, making him the youngest player to do so in SMAT history.. Further, he has maintained a strike rate of 168.38.
Although interestingly, despite Suryavanshi's presence, Bihar could fetch the results and are sitting last on the table with no wins in six games. Now, eyes will be on Suryavanshi during the Asia Cup as the 14-year-old is all set to play his second consecutive Asia Cup.
