‘What wrong did Vaibhav do?’ Former India cricketer tears into Gautam Gambhir and Shreyas Iyer

Former India captain Kris Srikkanth has strongly criticised the Indian team management over the way teenage batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was handled during the recent T20I tour of Ireland and England. While several selection decisions have come under scrutiny after India’s poor run, Srikkanth believes the youngster deserved far better support from the team.

India endured a disappointing tour, losing the T20I series 2-0 against Ireland before suffering a 4-0 defeat to England. Amid the poor results, the treatment of 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi became one of the biggest talking points after he was left out for the Ireland series, played only three matches against England, and was then dropped again for the final T20I.

Srikkanth unhappy with Shreyas Iyer’s remarks at the toss

The former India opener said he was particularly disappointed with captain Shreyas Iyer’s comments before the fifth T20I, where the skipper explained the decision to leave out Vaibhav.

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“I was so upset with the interview after the toss,” Srikkanth said on YouTube.

“This is not the way to talk. How you are treating your players, how you are forming a young team is important. If this is the way forward, the way forward is to change everybody (the leadership group). He said we want to take the best way forward. If you are willing to drop players based on their performance, the same yardstick should apply to Gautam Gambhir, the same yardstick should apply to the captain also. You are saying the players are not performing, what has been your performance?“

‘What wrong did Vaibhav Sooryavanshi do?’

Srikkanth questioned why the teenage opener was brought into the side only to be dropped after a few matches, saying such decisions could affect the confidence of a young cricketer.

“What wrong did Vaibhav Sooryavanshi do? Is this how you groom young players?“

Vaibhav did not get an opportunity during the Ireland series and featured in only three T20Is against England before making way for Sanju Samson in the final match.

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Srikkanth recalls Sachin Tendulkar’s debut

The former chief selector also shared an example from his own captaincy days when 16-year-old Sachin Tendulkar made his international debut during India’s tour of Pakistan. According to Srikkanth, young players should be given confidence instead of worrying about losing their place after every failure.

“Shreyas Iyer said at the toss ‘we want to get back to the best way possible’. Is this your best way forward? What is this interview? If you thought Sanju Samson was the best fit, then you should have continued with him. Why bring in Vaibhav and then drop him? Why spoil his future? You are all ruining his confidence. When Sachin Tendulkar made his debut at 16, I went up and told him ‘you won’t be dropped in this tour. You play fearlessly’.“

‘Give him the confidence every youngster needs’

Srikkanth said the current leadership group should back young players the same way previous captains backed emerging talent, adding that constant chopping and changing does more harm than good.

“Should Gambhir and Shreyas not give Sooryavanshi that kind of confidence? It’s not fair. I am very upset with the way they are treating Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.”

The criticism comes at a time when the ongoing debate over India’s selection decisions after the gruelling T20I tour, is being questioned by several former cricketers, who are questioning the management’s approach towards youngsters and inconsistency in team selection.