Kris Srikkanth, the former India captain and chief selector, came out all guns blazing, questioning the decision to leave out teen prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi out of the playing XI for the series opener against Afghanistan, alleging unfair treatment. The opening conundrum was always going to be there with Sanju Samson making his way into the squad for the Afghanistan tour, and in the end, the management went with Samson and Abhishek Sharma as the two opening batters.
Sooryavanshi’s ouster from the playing XI raised even more eyebrows, considering he was the Player of the Series in the last assignment against Zimbabwe, scoring 151 runs at a remarkable strike rate of 196.10.
The 15-year-old had also recently played in the Duleep Trophy final, leaving him little to no time to switch from red-ball cricket to the shortest format. Srikkanth was surprised by the decision and said the youngster’s omission had even prompted questions at his own home.
Srikkanth said that India need to show more faith in Sooryavanshi, particularly given what he has already produced across domestic cricket and the IPL for the Rajasthan Royals. He also warned that repeatedly changing the opening combination could leave the players unsure about their positions in the side.
“Yesterday, because Sooryavanshi didn’t play, we started watching a movie. My wife was shouting that Sooryavanshi didn’t play and started arguing that someone who was the Player of the Match in the last match isn’t playing. Even my wife is questioning his exclusion. You are not treating Sooryavanshi properly. Now, if he plays the next match, he’ll wonder whether he’ll be dropped if he doesn’t score,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
The Sanju situation
The former selector was equally critical of the way Sanju Samson has been handled. Samson started India’s UK campaign in July but was replaced by Sooryavanshi after three matches. He returned for the seventh and final game of the tour before being rested for the Zimbabwe series.
Srikkanth said the uncertainty surrounding both batters was unfair and called for the management to make a clearer selection call.
“This team management is playing around with Sanju Samson. I pity Samson. Either you give him an extended run and then drop him or give Vaibhav Sooryavanshi a run of matches without dropping him. The mistake India are making is both are getting two matches here and there. That’s not good for the player,” Srikkanth said.
The series opener saw Samson scoring just eight runs while Abhishek smashed the Afghanistan bowlers all around the park, scoring 82 runs.
