Former India captain and chief selector Kris Srikkanth has strongly criticized Team India’s leadership following the disappointing T20I tours of Ireland and England, questioning captain Shreyas Iyer and head coach Gautam Gambhir over their selection decisions and treatment of young players. Srikkanth argued that if performances were the benchmark for dropping players, then the same standards should apply to the team’s leadership as well.
India endured a forgettable tour, losing the two-match T20I series against Ireland 2-0 before suffering a crushing 4-0 defeat to England in the five-match series, with one fixture ending without a result. The tour was expected to help India identify a core group for the 2028 T20 World Cup, but inconsistent team selections and frequent changes to the playing XI sparked widespread debate.
One of the biggest talking points was the handling of 15-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The teenager became India’s youngest-ever T20I debutant during the England series but was dropped after playing just three matches. Explaining the decision at the toss before the fifth T20I, Shreyas Iyer said the management was doing “what’s best going forward for the team.”
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Srikkanth, however, was far from convinced. “I was very upset after listening to that interview. This isn’t the right way to speak about your players. Building a young team is about giving players confidence. If performances are the reason for dropping players, then the same yardstick should apply to Gautam Gambhir and Shreyas Iyer as well. If the players haven’t performed, then what has been the performance of the captain and coach?” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
The former opener also questioned the constant chopping and changing between Sanju Samson and Sooryavanshi. According to him, if Samson was considered India’s preferred option, he should have been backed consistently instead of being dropped and later recalled. Likewise, if the management believed in Sooryavanshi’s talent, they should have persisted with the youngster instead of discarding him after just three innings.
Drawing from his own experience as India’s captain, Srikkanth recalled reassuring a 16-year-old Sachin Tendulkar during his international debut that he would not be dropped during the tour. He believes Gambhir and Iyer should have shown similar faith in Sooryavanshi, allowing the youngster to play without fear rather than adding pressure through uncertain selection.
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Despite the criticism surrounding his omission, Sooryavanshi has retained his place in India’s squads for the upcoming Zimbabwe T20I series and the Asian Games, giving the teenage prodigy another opportunity to cement his place in the national setup.
