Star India batter Suryakumar Yadav, who was left out of the T20I team announced on Saturday, June 6, shared a heartfelt message for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi after the youngster earned a place in the team for the upcoming tours of Ireland and England.
At just 15 years and 71 days old, Sooryavanshi has become the youngest player ever selected for an Indian team, going past the long-standing record held by batting legend Sachin Tendulkar.
Tendulkar was 16 years and 205 days when he made his Test debut against Pakistan at Karachi on November 15, 1989.
“You have earned it and how. Super excited to follow your journey,” Suryakumar posted on his Instagram story.
India will travel to Ireland for two T20Is (June 26 and 28), followed by a five-match T20I series
against England between July 1 and 11.
Suryakumar not just lost the leadership but also his place in the team.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar acknowledged that Suryakumar’s dip in form over the past two seasons played a role in the decision to remove him from the T20I leadership, but stressed that it wasn’t the sole factor behind the move.
“With regards to Surya, obviously it is a tough one having just won the (T20) World Cup. But as it happens after most World Cups, we try and reassess what your best way forward is,” Agarkar said at the press conference.
“(It was due to) partly his own form but also looking at the next two-year cycle, or a little bit more than two years now till the next T20 World Cup, we thought this was the best way forward and as I said, Shreyas is a very deserving captain,” Agarkar added.
“It isn’t the easiest sort of discussion to have, but I don’t necessarily think… at some stage, we were going to look at it. Now, whether IPL form dictated it, I am not so sure that is the case,” Agarkar said.
