Former India captain and selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth has called head coach Gautam Gambhir ‘foolish’ for his decision to drop Vaibhav Sooryavanshi after just three failures in England, following the teenager’s record-breaking 18-ball half-century against Zimbabwe on Thursday. While Gambhir is not a part of the Zimbabwe tour, Srikkanth felt that his decision ‘crushed’ Sooryavanshi’s confidence in the UK.
The 15-year-old prodigy scored 14, 13 and 15 in his first three T20I appearances during the 4-0 series defeat. He was left out of the fifth T20I for senior pro Sanju Samson, but returned to the playing XI for the opening match of the Zimbabwe series and made history by becoming the youngest player to score a half-century in men’s T20I cricket.
His 19-ball 50 helped India end the streak of seven winless matches.
“He (Sooryavanshi) has an effortless range of shots, yet, not one shot was cross-batted. This boy is really something special. How did Gautam Gambhir foolishly drop him, of all people, after three failures to crush his confidence?” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
Former India batter VVS Laxman is currently in charge of the team in Gambhir’s absence.
Srikkanth also praised Sooryavanshi for retaining his aggressive approach despite the false start to his international career.
“The ease at which he scores at a 250 strike rate is extraordinary. Normally, after three failures, other players would have tried to safeguard their place in the Indian team by taking singles and twos. But he played fearlessly without worrying about the consequences. Scoring a 50 off 18 balls has become child’s play for him. That’s his greatness,” Srikkanth elaborated.
Sooryavanshi’s behind-the-scenes efforts?
Srikkanth also revealed that Sooryavanshi used the time between the England and Zimbabwe series to work on a specific weakness.
“I salute Vaibhav for his dedication. After the England series, he didn’t go home and instead went straight to the Rajasthan Royals camp. He has been working on his batting against the short ball because he wants to prove to the whole world that he is special,” Srikkanth added.
Doubts remain around Sooryavanshi’s abilities to play genuinely quick pacers like Jofra Archer, but the knock against Zimbabwe was another reminder of just how special a talent he is.
