A lot was felt perhaps most recently when Vaibhav Sooryavanshi wasn’t made to play the series against Afghanistan. Not a single contest in the three match series saw the left handed explosive talent feature
in an Indian jersey. Was that shocking? Was that sad? Maybe, a bit of both as far as the die hard Sooryavanshi fan stands.
And the decision right at the start of the series was made to bring back Sanju Samson, who now has 2 fifties from his last 3 T20 outings for India. This was made, one expects and hopes, in the best possible interest of the team and the talents involved because on the one hand one has to look after the team’s balance, one also has to note which talent to play and when!
Regardless, those who swear by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s cricketing skill and it’s one that’s unmistakably good would not have been too excited to see their favourite willow wielder out of the side. Not that the boy was dropped; it was as simple as another more experienced cricketer being given a chance to show his audacious talent in which case the moment and opportunity belonged to Sanju Samson.
But we ought to note that while Sanju Samson wasn’t played in the recent series against Zimbabwe, Sooryavanshi was the one who got the chance and made the most out of it. He scored, lest we forget, his highest score in the shortest format in Zimbabwe, thus away from Indian conditions, courtesy an attacking 81 off just 49 deliveries.
However, while all have our favourites and like them to always feature for Team India, a lot less is reserved to appreciate just how big an ask these things ultimately pose for the Indian coach.
And life could never be more difficult for a certain Gautam Gambhir!
In all likelihood, he’s the one who gets asked the difficult questions- isn’t it?
Whether that’s right or not we don’t know. Here’s what’s known. The former gritty left handed better turned full time coach for India has shared his thoughts on the decision regarding Sooryavanshi:
From Vaibhav’s point of view, it was a very clear conversation that he will have to wait for his opportunity, We know the kind of talent he has and what he can do, but someone who has been performing for the last two to three years will always be ahead of someone who has just entered the team. Whenever he gets his run, he will get a longer run as well. That is what Indian cricket is all about – we want competition and talent in the dressing room but that’s how cricket goes. Whether you’re a 15-year-old or a 30-year-old, you have to wait for your opportunity.”
