Teenage batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi should now be supported for the white-ball series against England, which begins on Wednesday, according to former India wicketkeeper Syed Kirmani, who believes selectors lost a chance by excluding him from the Ireland T20Is.
Sooryavanshi did not make his senior India debut during the two-match Twenty20 International series against Ireland, which India lost 0-2, much against expectations.
The young batting prodigy is once again in position for his first international cap as all eyes are on the five-match T20I series against England, which will begin at Chester-le-Street.
Kirmani asked the team management to support the 15-year-old against England, calling the decision to leave him out in Belfast an error of judgment.
“Indeed, it was a mistake to not play him against Ireland. I was really surprised not to see him in the second T20I after India had lost the first one against Ireland. And we all saw what happened. We should show more resolve in including him in the India XI rather than letting him sit in the dressing room for the entire duration of the match,” said Kirmani.
“He is a super talent. He is an entertainer. I see cricket because of him. They are marketing this series around him. See the broadcasters… we see him in trailers but not in the main movie, what is this?” Kirmani said.
Former India spinner Maninder Singh echoed the view, stating that Sooryavanshi should be included in the playing XI regardless of his batting order.
“You’ve got to make way for Sooryavanshi. If not in the opening slot, then at No.3, No. 4, you bat him anywhere. He’s going to bat the way he knows how to bat. He should have been in the side (against Ireland). We were a little bit wrong in our planning. If you have an attacking batter like Sooryavanshi, you’ve got to adjust him somewhere,” opined Maninder.
“Look at his attitude. With that attitude, if you bat him anywhere, he’ll win you a game single-handedly. That is where I feel the Indian think-tank has gone wrong. They (selectors and team management) have just considered him as an opener…an explosive batter like him in the side can bat at any number,” added Maninder.
“The team management will have to be very stubborn not to give him a chance against England.”
An explosive batter like Sooryavanshi, according to Maninder, can unsettle any bowler by throwing him off his line and length.
“If someone as attacking as Sooryavanshi gets going, the bowler stops relying on his strengths. And once a bowler moves away from his strengths, he starts bowling in areas where the batter likes the ball.”
But according to former selector and wicketkeeper-batter Saba Karim, Sooryavanshi’s time will come in the England series.
“The Indian think-tank must be having a definite plan for his debut. I do not think it was a mistake not playing him (against Ireland). I’m sure, we will be seeing his debut pretty soon,” Karim said.
