India once again left out teenage batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi from their playing XI for the fifth and final T20I against New Zealand, despite the series already being decided in the hosts’ favour with a 3-1 lead.
The 15-year-old batter, who featured in only two matches during the series, missed another opportunity as India retained their established batting combination for the final encounter.
India made two changes to their playing XI, both involving the bowling department, but chose not to include Sooryavanshi. Head coach Gautam Gambhir defended the selection decision, emphasising that his responsibility was to make decisions in the team’s best interests rather than satisfy public expectations.
“My job is not to make everyone happy. My job is to take the right decisions, not the popular decisions,” Gambhir told the broadcaster ahead of the match.
Gambhir also highlighted the growing influence of social media and public opinion on team selection, stressing the importance of maintaining confidence and stability within the dressing room.
“It is very easy to take the popular decision. But for me, the important thing is to take the right decision and make sure that there is a lot of security inside the dressing room,” he said.
The India coach acknowledged the abundance of young talent in the squad but maintained that players who had delivered consistent performances over a longer period deserved sufficient opportunities.
“There’s a lot of talent. But again, guys have done phenomenally well over a longer period of time. Obviously, they deserve a longer rope. And that is exactly how we approach the series,” Gambhir added.
INDIA’S PLAYING XI FOR THE 5TH T20I
Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy.
SOORYAVANSHI’S TWO OPPORTUNITIES
Sooryavanshi entered the series as a promising opening-batting option but received his opportunities after Ishan Kishan was sidelined by a groin injury.
The teenager’s first appearance ended with a single-digit score. However, he bounced back impressively in the third T20I, scoring an explosive 45 runs and sharing the crease with Abhishek Sharma during India’s record-breaking powerplay partnership.
With Kishan returning to the playing XI, Sooryavanshi was subsequently left out of the team.
For the series finale, India retained Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma as openers, followed by Kishan, captain Shreyas Iyer and Tilak Varma. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Naman Dhir provided additional batting options.
Sooryavanshi’s continued absence has sparked discussion about India’s approach towards giving opportunities to emerging cricketers, particularly when a series has already been decided.
Gambhir, however, reiterated that team selection would be based on performance, consistency and the team’s requirements rather than public pressure.