Weighing in on the controversy surrounding Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s inclusion in the Indian T20 team at Sanju Samson’s expense, former batsman Parthiv Patel argued that it is only emotionally correct to accommodate the prodigal teenager because dismissing the veteran batter is illogical.
Speaking on JioStar, Patel also admitted that Samson had previously been fired due to his own inconsistent behavior, but it is currently difficult to justify his omission.
“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,” PTI quoted Patel as saying.
“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.
Sooryavanshi, 15, was chosen after Samson, this year’s T20 World Cup player of the tournament, failed to score in three straight games. But so far, the teenager hasn’t been able to have much of an effect.
The fifth and final game of the series is set for Saturday. India have already conceded the series to England 0–3.
According to Patel, there is a constant belief that the player who is left out is the superior choice.
“This is just how we are. Whenever someone isn’t in the team, we automatically feel they’re the one who would have done a better job. At the last T20 World Cup, Shreyas Iyer wasn’t there, and everyone kept asking, ‘Why isn’t Shreyas Iyer in the team?’
“Now that he’s back, people are saying Rajat Patidar should be in the side,” he said.
Additionally, Patel feels that the IPL’s Impact Player rule has impeded the growth of competent all-rounders in Indian cricket, which has contributed to the ongoing hunt for Hardik Pandya’s long-term replacement.
“For the past 10 years, we’ve been saying the same thing, everything will be fine when Jasprit Bumrah comes back. Everything will be alright when Hardik Pandya returns. But it’s been 10 years, and we still haven’t found a replacement for either Hardik Pandya or Jasprit Bumrah,” he said.
“The biggest reason behind that is the IPL’s Impact Player rule. Bumrah is a different case, but India will not be able to find the all-rounder they are looking for until the Impact Player rule is removed from the IPL.”
Patel also questioned how the Indian batting unit was preparing for the tour to England.
“The biggest change we made to our T20 cricket in 2022 was our intent. We weren’t playing with the same intent as the rest of the world. Skill has never been an issue with these players,” he said.
“Ishan Kishan plays the short ball very well. Whenever Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was bowled short in the IPL, he went after it, and Abhishek Sharma can play short balls as well. But the thing is, if the ball isn’t there to play the pull shot, then you simply can’t play it.
“You’re playing across the line, which is poor shot selection. Hence, it all comes down to lack of planning. England have been the better team, both in terms of planning and execution.”
