Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the 15-year-old left-handed batter, has been left out of India's playing XI in the five-match T20I series against West Indies that began on October 6, 2026. The teenage sensation impressed at the Asian Games with scores of 38 and 15, but was not selected for the opening match in Lucknow as the Indian team management opted for experience at the top of the order.
India captain Shreyas Iyer confirmed at the toss of the second T20I in Ranchi on October 9 that the side would field an unchanged XI from the opening match, with Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson continuing in the opening slots.
Manish Ojha, Sooryavanshi's childhood coach, has expressed strong criticism of the team management's approach to handling the young batter's absence from the playing XI. Speaking to Sports Now, Ojha delivered a scathing assessment of the current Indian team management's methods and philosophy regarding player development.
"According to me, Vaibhav is like a storm. Whoever tries to take him on will eventually break, if not today, then tomorrow," Ojha was quoted as saying by NDTV Sports.
Coach questions team management's player development philosophy
Ojha believes that young talent must be given opportunities to play rather than remain on the sidelines. He has criticised the approach of keeping promising players out of the XI as a method of development, arguing that practical match experience is essential for the next generation of cricketers.
"This current Indian team management feels that they make players by keeping them on the bench. There are many other legends of cricket; you talk to them, and everyone will say that if we have to prepare the next generation of players, they must be put into those situations; they must be made to play. Sitting on the bench, no player has ever been made, nor will they be. And especially if such talent is kept on the bench," Ojha said.
Ojha criticises selection approach as 'dictatorship'
Ojha's frustration extends to what he perceives as an arbitrary decision-making process within the Indian team management. He has suggested that the handling of Sooryavanshi's case reflects a broader issue with how the current leadership operates.
"Then either they have made up their mind that this kid will not be given a chance... keep him out and frustrate him so much. He is sitting outside and serving water. I feel that the management that is here right now is practising a kind of dictatorship where whatever comes to mind, they will do," Ojha said.
Sooryavanshi has made eight T20I appearances since his debut on July 4, 2026 against England, accumulating 246 runs at an average of 30.75 with two half-centuries and a best score of 81. Despite these credentials, the teenage batter found himself on the sidelines during the West Indies series, with the Indian team management prioritising the experience of established openers in the early matches of the five-match contest.
