Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (AP Photo)
He also pointed out that India had already taken an unassailable 3-0 lead before the fourth match. Sooryavanshi played the second and third T20Is after Ishan Kishan was ruled out due to injury. However, when Kishan returned to the team, the youngster had to make way for him in the fourth match, which India lost. He felt the fourth T20I was the right opportunity to give Sooryavanshi another game, as India had already won the series. You had already won the series.
On one side, you left Bhuvneshwar out and said you would bring in new players. Kaif feels that giving Sooryavanshi a consistent run would have helped build his confidence. “There was an opportunity to play him in this game. You need to see the situation you are in during the series. Vaibhav is also new, so why not give him the same treatment? You are grooming Mayank Yadav and Prince Yadav. By the same logic, he should have played. The platform was well set.”
In the third T20I, he and Abhishek Sharma scored 100 runs in six overs. India lead the series 3-1 but suffered a heavy 87-run defeat in Auckland in the fourth match.
For his confidence-building, it is not good news for any player, even if he is a veteran,” Kaif said on his YouTube channel. Kaif believes that leaving out a young player after giving him just two opportunities is not the right approach. “This is not good news for the player (not getting a consistent run). He is a potential superstar. And you have seen what he can do. The result could prompt the team management to make changes to its playing XI. Sooryavanshi is among the players who could return to the side. Sanju Samson could make way for the youngster after struggling for runs in the series.