Indian cricket fans and former players questioned India’s decision to leave Vaibhav Sooryavanshi out of the XI for the second T20I against Afghanistan.
IMAGE: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s exclusion from India’s playing XI sparks debate among fans and former players. Photograph: BCCI
Key Points
- Sooryavanshi was left out again despite his impressive form for India.
- Fans expressed their frustration on social media, with some calling for a boycott.
- Sanjay Manjrekar, Ravichandran Ashwin and Dinesh Karthik questioned the selection call.
- Kris Srikkanth said even his wife was unhappy with Sooryavanshi’s omission.
Indian cricket fans were left frustrated after Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was once again left out of India’s playing XI for the second T20I against Afghanistan in Delhi on Tuesday.
India made just one change to the team, bringing in Ravi Bishnoi for the injured Varun Chakravarthy. That meant the 15-year-old opener had to sit out again despite his impressive start to international cricket.
Fans fume over Sooryavanshi snub
Sooryavanshi has wasted little time making an impression at the highest level, scoring at a stunning strike rate of 189.21 across his first six T20I innings.
He was also in sensational form during India’s recent tour of Zimbabwe, scoring 151 runs at a strike rate of 196.10 to finish as Player of the Series. He also picked up the Player of the Match award in the final T20I.
Yet, after Sanju Samson scored just 10 in the opening game against Afghanistan, India chose to stick with the experienced wicketkeeper-batter for the second match.
The decision did not go down well with fans.
Social media was flooded with reactions from supporters questioning why Sooryavanshi was being kept out despite his recent form.
Some even said they had no interest in watching the match without the teenage star, while others called for a boycott.
The criticism also came from former India players.
Former India stars question selection call
Sanjay Manjrekar felt Sooryavanshi should have been given a game, particularly with India expected to seal the series.
‘India is most likely to win the series tonight. They should have played Sooryavanshi tonight and should have given him some match time. What is the use of playing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in a dead rubber?’Manjrekar said.
He also warned that the youngster could lose confidence if he is not given a proper run.
Ravichandran Ashwin pointed out the contrasting fortunes of Samson and Sooryavanshi.
‘Vaibhav was brilliant in Zimbabwe whereas Sanju is scoring those 10-15 regularly,’Ashwin said, adding that Sooryavanshi could get his chance in the final T20I if India win the series.
Dinesh Karthik was even more direct in his criticism.
‘Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was Player of the series in Zimbabwe. So, there was no point of dropping him against Afghanistan,’ Karthik said.
He felt India needed to make a clear call — either back Samson for a longer run or give Sooryavanshi regular opportunities instead of constantly switching between the two.
Kris Srikkanth also shared a light-hearted example of how widely the youngster’s omission was being discussed.
‘Yesterday, because Sooryavanshi didn’t play, we started watching a movie,’ Srikkanth said, revealing that even his wife was unhappy with the decision.
Srikkanth also felt the uncertainty could affect the youngster, who may start wondering whether one poor game could cost him his place.