Vaibhav-Gambhir clash? The controversy explained!

• Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's coach slams Gambhir's "dictatorship"
• The 15-year-old prodigy remains benched during the West Indies series
• Coach Ojha argues players need match experience to improve, not benches

Indian batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has once again made it to the headlines, but this time not because of his power-hitting. Sooryavanshi’s childhood coach, Manish Ojha, has brutally bashed the Indian team

management, led by Gautam Gambhir, and accused them of ‘dictatorship’.

The 15-year-old has taken the global cricketing scenario by storm ever since he joined the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League. Earlier this year, he made his debut for the Senior Indian Men’s team and became the youngest-ever player to represent the side, breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s long-standing record. 

He didn’t take much time to adjust to the conditions and quickly went on to become the youngest-player in the history to score a fifty in T20Is and men’s international cricket. Though Sooryavanshi has been included in a few contests since then, he has only made it to the benches. In the ongoing T20I series against West Indies, Sooryavanshi was benched, and hasn’t been given any opportunity to take the field. 

Speaking about the same, Head Coach Gautam Gambhir had said that the team will move with the experienced opening combo of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson. He said that Sooryavanshi would have to wait for his opportunity. 

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s childhood coach lashes out at Gautam Gambhir-led management 

Gambhir’s comments and Sooryavanshi being sidelined certainly didn’t sit well with the young batter’s childhood coach and he didn’t mince his words before lashing out at the former cricketer. In his recent interview with Times Now, Manish Ojha said that players need regular match experience to mature and improve their game. 

“This current Indian team management, they feel that they make players by keeping them on the bench. So they are doing that work. There are many other legends of cricket; you talk to them, and everyone will say that if we have to prepare the next generation of players, they are put into that situation; they are made to play. Sitting on the bench, no player has ever been made, nor will they be,” he said. 

“This kid, at this age, should become mature by playing match by match and there should be refinement and improvement coming in his game. He is sitting outside and serving water. I feel that the management that is here right now, they are doing a kind of dictatorship where whatever comes to mind, they will do.”

“Then either they have made up their mind that this kid will not be given a chance… keep him out and frustrate him so much. I mean what to say now? When you sit out, then you get a feeling that I have no utility in the team; the kid gets frustrated,” he added.