India’s decision to leave 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi out of the playing XI for the fifth T20I against England has sparked criticism from former cricketers Graeme Swann and Sunil Gavaskar, both of whom felt the youngster deserved another opportunity after showing promise on his international debut.
Sooryavanshi, one of India’s brightest young prospects, earned his maiden international call-up for the white-ball tour of Ireland and England. After replacing Sanju Samson in the second T20I, the teenager featured in three matches before being left out of the series finale.
Sooryavanshi, one of India’s brightest young prospects, earned his maiden international call-up for the white-ball tour of Ireland and England. After replacing Sanju Samson in the second T20I, the teenager featured in three matches before being left out of the series finale.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi showed promise despite modest scores
The young batter managed starts in all three innings but could not convert them into substantial knocks. He scored 14, 13 and 15 before India opted to recall Sanju Samson for the final T20I.
At the toss, India captain Shreyas Iyer explained the selection change, saying the team had made the decision with future planning in mind.
“Yeah, we’ve got two changes. Suryansh Shedge comes in for Washington, and Sanju Samson comes in for Sooryavanshi. I feel this is the time we need to figure out what’s best for us going forward as a team. Based on that, we decided this.”
Graeme Swann says India failed to nurture young talent
Former England spinner Graeme Swann disagreed with the decision, arguing that Sooryavanshi had shown enough in his brief stint to justify another game.
“The fact is that in the three games that he played, he showed glimpses of what he is capable of. If he had come here for three games and been completely blown away, with stumps everywhere, then fair enough. But you bring in Sanju, who has got lower scores. Because he is 15, you have to treat him carefully. Because he is not emotionally developed, he will be disappointed. That could knock him back three or four months. The shoulders will go down.”
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Swann also stressed the importance of protecting a player with exceptional potential.
“There will be people who say that’s international cricket. But when you have the potential of a 15-year-old who could be one of the best ever, you have to nurture that. I don’t think he has been nurtured very well. I think he became the victim of the team’s performance.”
Why did Team India drop Sooryavanshi?
The selection decision also drew criticism from former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, who believed the teenager should have been given another chance to show he had learned from his earlier dismissals.
“I don’t have a problem with Samson coming in. We had (predicted) Sooryavanshi at No. 3. You saw the way he walked. He is disappointed. We should have given him another opportunity in this game to see whether he has learnt. Twice he has got out playing the hook shot. Look at him. Dejected. Disappointed. I hope he only looks at this as a challenge now. Not being in the side is very disappointing.”
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The decision to replace Sooryavanshi after just three T20Is has now become one of the major talking points from India’s disappointing England tour, with both Swann and Gavaskar calling for greater patience when handling a player regarded as one of Indian cricket’s most promising young talents.
FAQs
Why was Vaibhav Sooryavanshi dropped from India’s playing XI?
India replaced him with Sanju Samson to test their preferred team combination.
Why did Graeme Swann and Sunil Gavaskar criticise India’s decision?
They believed Sooryavanshi deserved more opportunities after showing promise.