Sanju Samson made way for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in India's playing XI for fifth T20I.
His visible heartbreak sparked heavy criticism from experts regarding the team management's handling of the teenager.
Speaking on Sony Sports, former India cricketer Ambati Rayudu pointed out that Sooryavanshi's body language suggested he was left in the dark until match day, noting the last-minute exclusions can deeply shatter a young player’s confidence.
Rayudu views Sooryavanshi as a generational 20-to-25-year asset for Indian cricket, warning that mishandling can jeopardize a prodigy's long-term future.
"The way Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was reacting, it seemed he was not communicated to the night before that he was not playing. The decision to play Samson may have been taken today. Communication is important. It's very important for management to absorb all the negativity, soak up all the pressure, and keep youngsters like him in a bubble of positivity," Rayudu said.
“This does not augur really well in terms of doing that. I just feel that he is not being well protected because he is someone who will serve Indian cricket for 20-25 years. You can't lose out on a kid who is so brilliant. You need to take care of him just a little bit more," he added.
Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar too was not one bit pleased with the call to omit Sooryavanshi, who was rewarded with a place in the national side after a record-breaking IPL 2026 campaign.
"I don't have a problem with Samson coming in. We had (predicted) Sooryavanshi at No. 3. You saw the way he walked. He is disappointed. We should have given him another opportunity in this game to see whether he has learnt. Twice he has got out playing the hook shot. Look at him. Dejected. Disappointed. I hope he only looks at this as a challenge now. Not being in the side is very disappointing," Gavaskar said on Sony Sports.
"He had given glimpses. He was ready to explode. In all three innings, he has hammered two sixes right out of the middle of the bat. There have not been any edges or anything of that sort. The potential is there. If this was a must-win match to make it 2-2, I would understand giving experienced players a chance. I think this is a match where you could have given him another opportunity. I think we missed out on that. I just hope somebody puts an arm around his shoulder, some senior player, and says, 'Look, this is not the end.' I think it's a little hard for a 15-year-old to be dropped after three matches."
Vaibahv Sooryavanshi made his historic international debut in the second T20I at Old Trafford last week. At just 15 years and 99 days old, the southpaw broke Sachin Tendulkar's long-standing record as the youngest-ever Indian to debut in men’s international cricket.
However, the wonder kid failed to live up to the expectations, returning with scores of 14, 13, and 15 in three outings. He eventually faced the axing as the visitors made a couple of changes to their playing XI for the fifth T20I.
While Sooryavanshi displayed glimpses of his explosive talent by hitting sixes against premier pacers like Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue, he failed to set the international stage on fire in his debut series. He was eventually benched in the fifth T20I as the team management Samson, who was also dropped midway through the series.
However, the decision didn’t change India’s fortunes as the Men in Blue lost the final T20I by 56 runs to conceded the series 0-4 to England. This setback follows a humiliating 0-2 defeat to Ireland late last month.