Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made his India debut at 15 in second T20I v England, replacing Sanju Samson.
Wasim Jaffer, a former opener for India and Mumbai, believes that Sanju Samson's exclusion from the team in the second T20I against England will undoubtedly cause hurt, regardless of how much the administration attempts to justify the decision.
On Saturday, July 4, the game took place at Manchester's Emirates Old Trafford stadium. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who made his debut at the age of 15, replaced Samson in the XI after he had only managed six runs in his previous three innings.
The 48-year-old Wasim Jaffer discussed the choice on his YouTube channel, claiming that Sooryavanshi was the reason for the call and that eliminating Samson would not have made sense otherwise.
“Because of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, we're having this discussion. Otherwise, dropping Sanju Samson wouldn't really have made sense. But with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the team, Abhishek Sharma had scored two fifties, so you couldn't leave him out. Ishan Kishan had also been batting well.
So, unfortunately, the burden fell on Sanju Samson because he got out for low scores. But you know the kind of player Sanju Samson is. When he gets going, he goes on to score hundreds. It's very unfortunate. No matter how much you try to explain things to a player, it doesn't really change how they feel. Eventually, you're bound to feel hurt," Jaffer said on his YouTube Channel.
He went on to say that Samson's career is not over, pointing out that the right-hander still has a long way to go and that he will have to wait for his chance.
“If you go back just three or four matches, we were praising him (Sanju Samson) a lot, and he was even the Player of the Tournament in the World Cup. So I would not like to think that his career is over. He is a fantastic player. I think he will be waiting for his opportunity. How and when that comes, we will have to see. But I don’t want to believe that Sanju Samson’s career is over. Not at all. He is a fantastic player,” Jaffer added.
Wasim Jaffer spoke about Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who became the youngest player to debut for India when he appeared in the 2nd T20I. The southpaw, who scored 14 from 10 balls, did not have the best performance.
Regarding the 15-year-old, Jaffer stated that he could not recall any cricket player getting this much attention or discussion.
“It is a very proud moment for Vaibhav, and for his parents, coaches, and association. It is a big thing that a boy from Bihar is playing cricket and has created so much hype through his performances that the whole world is talking about him. Whether he plays or not, people are talking about him. That in itself is a huge achievement. I don’t remember in recent times any cricketer being talked about this much, where everyone is asking why he is not being played and when he will get a chance. I honestly can’t recall any player in recent times receiving this level of attention,” he said.
Sooryavanshi will be expected to return to action when India faces England in the third T20I in Nottingham on July 7.