- “Are you only going to play it when someone is injured?” – Aakash Chopra questions Indian team management after Sooryavanshi’s snub in Auckland Former India batsman Aakash Chopra has raised concerns over Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s omission from the fourth T20I against New Zealand and questioned the team management’s proach.
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (Photo by Gareth Copley/) India’s fourth T20I against New Zealand ended in Auckland on October 30 after the visitors had already secured the series by winning the first three matches.
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the young opener who came on as a substitute when Ishan Kishan suffered a minor right adductor muscle strain after the first T20I, was left out of the playing eleven after the keeper-batsman recovered and returned to the team.
“Are you only going to play it when someone is injured?” – Aakash Chopra questions Indian team management after Sooryavanshi’s snub in Auckland Former India batsman Aakash Chopra has raised concerns over Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s omission from the fourth T20I against New Zealand and questioned the team management’s proach.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (Photo by Gareth Copley/) India’s fourth T20I against New Zealand ended in Auckland on October 30 after the visitors had already secured the series by winning the first three matches. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the young opener who came on as a substitute when Ishan Kishan suffered a minor right adductor muscle strain after the first T20I, was left out of the playing eleven after the keeper-batsman recovered and returned to the team. Sooryavanshi had contributed scores of 4 and 45 in his two pearances in the second and third T20Is and showed promise.
His omission sparked debate about the team’s proach to dealing with emerging talent, particularly when roster moves coincided with a game that had no bearing on the outcome of the series. Chopra elaborated on the philosophical question surrounding Sooryavanshi’s role in the team. The former India opener admitted that Sooryavanshi would logically be the natural candidate for the spot once Kishan returns to fitness, having come on as an injured substitute.
However, the timing raised questions about the team’s overall strategy. “Last game, Abhishek made 100 and Vaibhav missed his 50. But the batting was very good.
The question then became who would come out if Ishan was fit. If you think philosophically then the answer is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as he replaced the injured Kishan. But it was a dead rubber,” Chopra said.
Kishan’s return proved dispointing as he fell for a duck while trying to catch up with New Zealand’s 260-run tally. India’s reply fell short at 172 for 9 wickets, making the fourth game a losing encounter in an otherwise successful series. Chopra further elaborated on the broader implications of Sooryavanshi’s omission, questioning whether the young batsman would only feature if injuries forced his selection.
He noted that clarity in the team’s direction was crucial to Sooryavanshi’s long-term role and development path. “The decision to drop Vaibhav Sooryavanshi raises a bigger question. Will you play Vaibhav Sooryavanshi only when someone is injured?
Or if someone is unavailable? If that is the case, you can send him home,” Chopra said. “You can tell him to play first-class cricket.
Of course, he can learn by staying in the Indian dressing room. But if it continues for a long period of time, he should come into play,” he added. Also Read: “We will go back to the drawing board and try to come back strong” – said Shreyas Iyer after India’s defeat at Eden Park. Finally, Chopra asked the team leadership to communicate their strategic vision for Sooryavanshi’s future in the team.
He expressed his dispointment at the lack of transparency regarding the role of the young person and the selection criteria. “The team should come out and share their journey and philosophy. Maybe they’ve already thought about it and made a plan.
But they haven’t told anybody. So we don’t know what they will do with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. “His absence was a little dispointing,” Chopra said.
