Jaffer believes Abhimanyu Easwaran was more deserving for the vice-captaincy role.
While Sooryavanshi has taken the cricketing world by storm with his dazzling exploits in the shortest format, he is yet to prove his mettle in first-class cricket (207 runs in 8 matches at an average of 17.25). Hence, the decision to hand the leadership responsibility to the teenage prodigy has raised eyebrows.
Former India opener Wasim Jaffer has also joined the bandwagon of critics, questioning the move to appoint Sooryavanshi as deputy of the squad, featuring seasoned campaigners like Abhimanyu Easwaran and Mohammad Shami.
“I think maybe the selectors wanted to reward Vaibhav. If you look at his first-class cricket record and his Ranji Trophy performances, the numbers aren't particularly impressive yet. So, from that point of view, the decision is certainly debatable,” Jaffer said on his YouTube channel.
“From Vaibhav's perspective, it's an encouraging sign. For him, it's definitely rewarding. But again, Abhimanyu Easwaran is also part of that team. So, in my opinion, making Abhimanyu Easwaran the vice-captain would have been the fair decision,” he added.
Easwaran brings extensive experience, having scored 8,381 runs in 113 first-class matches at an average of 47.62 and previously captained Bengal and India A.
Jaffer noted that while it is not a major controversy as Ishan will lead the East Zone side, giving the vice-captaincy to Easwaran instead of 15-year-old Sooryavanshi would have been fairer.
“Having said that, I wouldn't say it's such a huge controversy that we need to make a big issue out of it because, ultimately, Ishan Kishan will be the captain and he'll be leading the team. But yes, when someone like Abhimanyu Easwaran is in the squad, has played so much cricket, and has already captained Bengal, I think it would have been fair to make him the vice-captain.”
However, Jaffer believes that Sooryavanshi possesses innate captaincy attributes and expects him to formally lead sides within the next 2 to 3 years.
“At the same time, I see this as an added responsibility for Vaibhav and something for him to look forward to. I believe that, in the next two or three years, we'll probably see him captaining teams because he has that ability. The way he's playing international cricket, leadership opportunities will come his way sooner or later. So, I don't think this is something that deserves a huge uproar. I think he'll do a good job, and in my opinion, this added responsibility will only motivate him further.”
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made his T20I debut against England at Old Trafford last month. The southpaw failed to make a mark in his maiden series, registering scores of 14, 13 and 15 before being benched in the final game.
However, the youngster made a great comeback in the subsequent T20I tour of Zimbabwe, where he bagged the Player-of-the-Series award after amassing 151 runs at a strike rate of 196.10 with two half-centuries in three innings.