Sunil Gavaskar Questions India's Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Snub: "You Saw The Way He Walked?"
After three matches, during which there was expected yet unprecedented hype over his debut, 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was dropped from the XI
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was dropped from the Indian XI for the fifth T20I against England
- Sanju Samson replaced Sooryavanshi despite three consecutive scoreless games
- Sunil Gavaskar disagreed with dropping Sooryavanshi after only three matches
After three matches, during which there was expected yet unprecedented hype over his debut, 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was dropped from the XI. For the fifth T20I against England, India opted for the experienced Sanju Samson. Ahead of the match, there was speculation that India would play both Samson and Sooryavanshi while dropping Ishan Kishan. Instead, it was the young Sooryavanshi who was left out.
Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar wholly disagreed with the decision to drop Sooryavanshi. Before the match, he predicted Samson and Abhishek Sharma would open, with Sooryavanshi coming in at No. 3.
"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," Sunil Gavaskar said on Sony Sports.
"He had given glimpses. He was ready to explode. In all three innings, he has hammered two sixes right out of the middle of the bat. There have not been any edges or anything of that sort. The potential is there. If this was a must-win match to make it 2-2, I would understand giving experienced players a chance. I think this is a match where you could have given him another opportunity. I think we missed out on that. I just hope somebody puts an arm around his shoulder, some senior player, and says, 'Look, this is not the end.' I think it's a little hard for a 15-year-old to be dropped after three matches."
At the toss, India captain Shreyas Iyer said they opted for the combination as it was in the best interest of the team.
"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," he said.
The 15-year-old Sooryavanshi was picked after Samson, who was Player of the Tournament in the T20 World Cup this year, failed to score in three consecutive games. However, the prodigious batter was not able to make much of an impact.
Before the match, former India star Parthiv Patel waded into the debate surrounding Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's inclusion in the Indian T20 team at the expense of Sanju Samson. Patel acknowledged that in the past, Samson was dropped for his inconsistency, but right now, his omission is not easy to explain.
"Why is it always Sanju Samson who misses out? If you look at Sanju Samson's career over the last 11-12 years, the one question that has always followed him is consistency," Patel said.
"Either the player who isn't scoring quickly enough gets left out, or the one who has been inconsistent. You can't make decisions based on both emotion and logic. So emotionally, yes, it was the right call to give Vaibhav Sooryavanshi a chance.
"But if you go purely by logic, then why has Sanju Samson been left out? So, I think this decision was taken emotionally," he added.
Sunil Gavaskar
India Cricket Team
England Cricket Team
Sanju Samson