Former Kiwi captain Stephen Fleming voiced support for India's team management following their choice to bench 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi during the fourth T20I against New Zealand at Eden Park, Auckland.
The decision to exclude Sooryavanshi from the playing XI sparked significant public debate, especially given his explosive form.
However, Fleming highlighted the strategic value of the move, noting that it reinforced team stability by backing established players like Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan.
According to Fleming, prioritizing consistency over hype sends a powerful message, giving senior players the necessary security and freedom to perform fearlessly without immediate fear of being dropped.
"His time will come, he will be that person, that incumbent," Fleming told Sony Sports of Sooryavanshi.
"But I think it's a great message because it's a really inconsistent game. You're asking players to go out there and play at a really high level of skill and risk, and if they feel that they're compromised and they start double-guessing because their place is under threat, then they don't have that freedom to go out and play right on the edge of their skill level, right on the edge of the limits."
Notably, Sooryavanshi was added to the playing XI for the second and third T20Is as Kishan was recovering from a low-grade right adductor strain sustained during the series opener.
The teenager was sent to bat at No. 3 in the second T20I in Christchurch. The move was widely questioned by cricket analysts, as he was dismissed for just 4 runs off 8 balls and looked out of his natural element.
Restored to his preferred opening slot in the third T20I, the young prodigy played with complete freedom, smashing 45 off 19 balls to help India chase down the massive target of 199 in just 13.2 overs.
During the Afghanistan T20I series in September, India head coach Gautam Gambhir had made it clear that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will have to wait for his chance, calling it an exercise of patience rather than a setback for the youngster.
"From Vaibhav's point of view, it was again a very clear conversation that he has to wait for his opportunity. We know the kind of talent he has. We know what he can do. But again, someone who's done extremely well over a period of two years, obviously, will always be ahead of someone who's just got into the team.
"So, whenever he gets that run, he will get a longer run as well. And that is what Indian cricket is all about. We want competition. We want that talent in the dressing room. But that's how cricket goes. Whether you're a 15-year-old or a 30-year-old, when you have to wait for your opportunity, you have to wait for your opportunity," Gambhir had remarked.
On the eve of the New Zealand T20I series, India skipper Shreyas Iyer had echoed similar sentiments, insisting that Sooryavanshi had plenty of time to establish himself in international cricket.
"It's important that a talent like him (Sooryavanshi) should always be happy around the dressing room," Iyer had told reporters. "He is very young, he has more years to get opportunities. It's not like he can walk in right now, because our openers are scoring consistently, and they have won the World Cup."
