Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has questioned India’s decision to leave teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi out of the playing XI for the first T20I against Afghanistan in New Delhi.
Sooryavanshi had starred in India’s 3-0 T20I series win over Zimbabwe and was named Player of the Series, but was benched with Sanju Samson returning to the side. Kaif believes the decision reflects uncertainty over India’s preferred opening combination and has questioned what Sooryavanshi did wrong to lose his place.
Samson’s return and the selection puzzle
India’s opener Sanju Samson returned to the squad after missing India’s tour of Zimbabwe in July and was set to open the batting alongside Abhishek Sharma. The team management backed Samson following his strong showing at the T20 World Cup earlier in the year. Captain Shreyas Iyer did not provide an explanation for Sooryavanshi’s omission in his pre-match interview.
“What did Sanju do in between to get a chance today? Usually, when you are dropped, you play here and there and regain some form; nothing like that has happened. Why did he get a chance? That is a massive question? Why didn’t you go with the same combination after Vaibhav scored runs in Zimbabwe, that is another question,” Kaif said on Cricbuzz.
With Sanju Samson, Sooryavanshi and Abhishek Sharma in contention for the two opening slots, former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif believes the team is still unsure about the combination they want to settle on.
“In my opinion, they are hesitating a bit; they are unsure of what their best opening combination is. The Indian team are still thinking about it. Vaibhav must be saying what did I do wrong? So this is a state of confusion going on, there is no doubt about it,” he added.
Kaif’s remarks highlighted the uncertainty surrounding India’s opening partnership strategy. Samson had struggled to make an impact during the preceding T20I series against Ireland and England, which led to his exclusion from the Zimbabwe tour. His recall for the Afghanistan series without any intervening domestic cricket raised questions about the consistency of selection logic.
Why is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi not playing in the 1st T20I?
India began the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan with a dominant seven-wicket win in New Delhi. Afghanistan were restricted to 156/8, with Azmatullah Omarzai top-scoring with an unbeaten 64, while Arshdeep Singh claimed 3/19. In reply, Abhishek Sharma smashed 82 off just 32 balls, including a 22-ball fifty, as India chased down the target in only 13.4 overs to take a 1-0 lead.
