IND vs ENG: Sunil Gavaskar attacks India after team drops Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

Legendary Sunil Gavaskar did not take kindly to India’s decision to drop 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for the fifth and final T20I against England. In Southampton, India, he decided to bench a generational youngster and bring back Sanju Samson, a player who was dropped by the Gautam Gambhir-led team midway through the series.

Sooryavanshi, who played three of the seven matches on India’s tour of the UK, scored a total of 42 runs in his three short matches against England. Despite the high strike rate, Vaibhav was unable to handle the extra bounce generated by the English pacers in his three innings.

GAVASKAR GET ANGRY AT SOORYAVANSHI’S CALL

Vaibhav came into the team in place of Sanju Samson who endured a horror run with the bat during the tour of Ireland and England. The fact that Vaibhav was dropped after just three matches did not sit well with Gavaskar, who criticized the team management for their decision at Southampton.

“Not having him in the team is very, very disappointing,” Sunil Gavaskar said, shaking his head after the decision was announced at the toss.

“The thing about opening batsmen is that they can bat down the order in a white-ball format. He’s shown his potential. If it was a must-win game, I’d accept the challenge to play some experienced guy. This isn’t a game about anything. I think we’ve missed an opportunity. I just hope someone puts an arm around his shoulders and tells him this isn’t over. I think after three matches, Gasvakar is just a bit hard to drop 15 flight.” added.

IS HE NOT YOUR GREATEST TALENT?

Former England cricketer Graeme Swann also criticized the Indian team management at the same Sony panel and said the decision made no sense to him.

Swann argued that if the team truly believed that Sooryavanshi was a generational talent, they needed to give him more opportunities than just three games.

“In the three games he’s played, he’s shown what he’s capable of. If he’s been blown away in those three games, wide-eyed, stumps everywhere, then it’s only fair. You bring back Sanju who got 5, 0, 1. At least this kid got 13, 14, 15,” Sanju said, in the last three games where he came from.

“Now you’ve got Sooryavanshi out of the way, but he’s 15. You’ve got to tread a little bit lightly because he’s not emotionally developed and that could set him back three or four months. I think if you’ve got a 15-year-old who could be one of the best ever, you’ve got to worry about that. He’s been a victim of the team’s performance,” concluded Swann.

India’s handling of Sooryavanshi is likely to remain a matter of debate even after the series ends. While the team management decided to bring experience back into the last match, the decision to drop the 15-year-old after just three matches will raise questions about the thought process of the Indian team management.

– The end

Issued by:

Kingshuk Kusari

Published on:

11 Jul 2026 19:57 IST