Former India captain Kris Srikkanth has voiced strong criticism regarding the handling of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi during India’s recent T20I tours of Ireland and England. Srikkanth expressed his dissatisfaction with the decisions made by the team management, particularly captain Shreyas Iyer and Gautam Gambhir, concerning the 15-year-old player.
Sooryavanshi, who was the youngest Orange Cap winner in the IPL 2026 season with Rajasthan Royals after scoring 776 runs, did not feature in the series against Ireland. He was later included in the playing XI for the England series after Sanju Samson struggled to score runs. However, after playing three matches, Sooryavanshi was subsequently dropped for the fifth and final T20I, a decision that drew sharp remarks from Srikkanth.
Srikkanth questions team management’s approach
Srikkanth specifically highlighted his unhappiness with Iyer’s explanation for the team change during the toss before the final T20I. Iyer had stated, “I feel this is the time we need to try what’s the best going forward for us as a team. So based on that, we decided this.” This remark, according to Srikkanth, did not sit well and raised concerns about the team’s approach to nurturing young talent.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth questioned the rationale behind bringing in a young player like Sooryavanshi only to drop him after a few appearances. He emphasised that the way young players are treated and how a young team is formed are crucial aspects of team management. Srikkanth argued that if players are to be dropped based on performance, the same standards should apply to everyone within the leadership group, including Gambhir and the captain himself.
Sooryavanshi made scores of 14 in Manchester, 13 in Nottingham, and 15 in Bristol during his three innings before being left out of the final match. He was dismissed twice by England pacer Jofra Archer during the series. Despite these numbers, Srikkanth maintained that the youngster should have been given more opportunities to prove himself.
Lessons from past experiences
Srikkanth drew a parallel between Sooryavanshi’s situation and his own experience as captain when he handed a 16-year-old Sachin Tendulkar his international debut during the 1989 tour of Pakistan. He recalled telling Tendulkar at the time that he would not be dropped during that tour, encouraging him to play fearlessly. Srikkanth believes that providing such confidence and backing to young players is essential for their development and confidence building.
He questioned whether Iyer and Gambhir should not have shown a similar level of faith in Sooryavanshi instead of dropping him after just three matches. Srikkanth reiterated his disappointment, stating, “It’s not fair. I am very upset with the way they are treating Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.”
The decision to drop Sooryavanshi came after Samson, who was named the Player of the Tournament at this year’s T20 World Cup, failed to score in three consecutive innings. Samson was reinstated into the playing XI for the fifth game, where he scored a quick 14-ball 27. However, England ultimately secured a 56-run victory in that match, completing a 4-0 series sweep against India. The overall UK tour was disappointing for India, as they also lost 0-2 against Ireland in their prior T20I series.
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Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Arjun Sharma
Sports Reporter