NEW DELHI: Former India captain Kris Srikkanth has slammed the Indian team management for the way 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was treated during the T20I tours of Ireland and England.Sooryavanshi did not play a game in the Ireland series and was later drafted into the playing XI against England after Sanju Samson struggled to get runs. However, after playing three matches, the teenager was dropped again for the fifth and final T20I. India lost the five-match series 0-4. Srikkanth said he was particularly unhappy with captain Shreyas Iyer’s explanation about the change in the toss ahead of the final T20I.At the toss, Iyer defended the decision saying, “I feel like this is the time we need to try what’s best for us as a team.” So based on that, we decided this.”The comment did not go down well with Srikkanth.“I was very upset with the interview after the draw,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.He questioned the team’s approach to young players and said the same standards should apply to everyone in the setup.“This is not the way to talk. How you treat your players, how you are building a young team is important. If this is the way forward, the way forward is to change everyone (the leadership group). He said we want to take the best path forward. If you are willing to fire players based on their performance, the same criteria should be applied to Gautama GambhirThe same criteria should also apply to the captain. “You are saying that the players are not performing, what has your performance been?”Sooryavanshi came into the team after Sanju Samson, the Player of the Tournament of this year’s T20 World Cup, failed to score in three consecutive innings. The teenager achieved scores of 14 in Manchester, 13 in Nottingham and 15 in Bristol, before crashing out of the final match.Srikkanth asked what the young man had done wrong.“What wrong did Vaibhav Sooryavanshi do? Is this how young players are groomed?”The former India opener compared the situation with his own experience as captain when he delivered a 16-year-old. Sachin Tendulkar his international debut during the 1989 tour of Pakistan.He said backing a young player was crucial to building confidence.“Shreyas Iyer said in the toss ‘we want to come back in the best possible way’. Is this your best way forward? What is this interview? If you thought Sanju Samson was the best fit, then you should have continued with him. Why bring Vaibhav and then leave him? Why ruin his future? You are all ruining his confidence. When Sachin Tendulkar made his debut at 16, I approached him and said ‘they won’t leave you in this tour. You play without fear.’“Srikkanth said the current leadership should have shown the same faith in Sooryavanshi instead of dropping him after just three matches.“Shouldn’t Gambir and Shreyas give Sooryavanshi that kind of trust? It’s not fair. I’m very upset with the way Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is being treated,” he said.
