‘It won’t be right’: Top scorer should not be dropped just to play Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, says India coach

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson Vaibhav Sooryavanshi may be on the verge of becoming India’s youngest international cricketer, but batting coach Sitanshu Kotak has made it clear that the teenager’s opportunity should not come at the expense of a player who is already playing.India will open their two-match T20I series against Ireland on Friday and if Sooryavanshi is selected in the playing eleven, the 15-year-old will become the youngest player to represent India. The team management, led by captain Shreyas Iyer and head coach Gautam Gambhir, faces a selection process ahead of the opening game. One option could be to bring Sooryavanshi into the side in place of Abhishek Sharma and let him open alongside Sanju Samson or vice versa.On the eve of the match, Kotak praised the teenager’s ability but said the team selection must also be fair to the players who have already scored.“Vaibhav is very talented, no doubt about that. And the way he has batted in the IPL and in all the other games, it goes without saying that he has a lot of natural ability. Because in the IPL he has faced Jofra, a lot of fast bowlers, a lot of experienced bowlers. And nothing seems to bother him. So he is obviously an extraordinary talent,” Kotak was quoted as saying by PTI.“The team will be decided tonight by the captain and the head coach. And if he plays well, if he doesn’t play for me, that’s great because he’s part of the Indian team. And I’m sure he’ll get his due and his opportunities. So I don’t think just to give him an opportunity we should drop someone who’s already scored.”“That won’t be right either. I think there’s a very fine line between trying to give someone an opportunity and being unfair to another player,” Kotak said.Kotak said that the depth of talent in Indian cricket makes selection increasingly difficult and admitted that even the selectors have a tough job.“If you ask me, there is so much talent in India that it gives even the selectors a headache. To be honest, I don’t have that much of a headache because I am not the head coach and the captain. But sometimes it is difficult.”“But we also have to remember one thing that those who are already playing should never be ignored I believe. Those who are already scoring are winning matches for the team. BCCI’s structure is such that players will keep coming,” Kotak said when asked how difficult it is to drop players from the World Cup winning team.