Former Indian cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth slams Gautam Gambhir over Vaibhav Suryavanshi decision

 Former India cricketer and ex-BCCI chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth has strongly criticized head coach Gautam Gambhir and the Indian team management for leaving young batter Vaibhav Suryavanshi out of the playing XI for the first T20I against Afghanistan.

NEW DELHI: Former India cricketer and ex-BCCI chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth has strongly criticized head coach Gautam Gambhir and the Indian team management for leaving young batter Vaibhav Suryavanshi out of the playing XI for the first T20I against Afghanistan.

Speaking on his YouTube channel Srikkanth questioned the decision to drop Suryavanshi despite his impressive performance in India’s previous T20I series against Zimbabwe.

Srikkanth said even his wife was surprised to see Suryavanshi left out of the team and questioned why a player who had performed so well in the previous match was not given another opportunity.

The former chief selector stressed that the team management should handle the young batter carefully and give him consistent opportunities. According to Srikkanth repeatedly moving a young player in and out of the playing XI could affect his confidence and development.

Srikkanth also expressed concern over the way the team management has handled wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson. He pointed out that Samson has also been repeatedly included in and dropped from the Indian side describing the approach as an inappropriate strategy.

The former India cricketer said the management needs to make a clear decision about its plans for the two players. Either Samson should receive a consistent run in the team or Suryavanshi should be given several matches to establish himself.

Srikkanth argued that giving both players only one or two matches intermittently is not an ideal approach particularly when the players are trying to build confidence and establish their places in the squad.

Suryavanshi had been named Player of the Series during India’s previous T20I series against Zimbabwe. However, he was left out of the XI for the opening T20I against Afghanistan, with Samson selected in his place.

Samson however failed to capitalize on the opportunity and was dismissed for just 10 runs.

The decision has now generated considerable attention ahead of the second T20I between India and Afghanistan. The major selection question will be whether the Indian team management brings Suryavanshi back into the playing XI or continues to back Samson.

Srikkanth’s comments have added further pressure on the team management with questions being raised over selection consistency and the handling of young talent.

The upcoming match is therefore expected to provide another indication of the management’s plans for both Suryavanshi and Samson as India continues to assess its options in the T20 format.