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India vs England five-match T20I series finally concluded as the England National Cricket Team whitewashed the T20 World Cup champions, winning the series 4-0 after beating them in the fifth and final T20I match by 56 runs. In the fifth game, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was dropped to bring back Sanju Samson into the squad, which raised several questions about the team management.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who made his debut in the 2nd T20I, was dropped right after failing in three T20Is. As the Southpaw only scored 14, 13, and 15 before being dropped from the playing XI for the final match of the series. He made his senior debut at the age of 15 years 99 days, surpassing the record of Sachin Tendulkar.
"He showed glimpses"- Graeme Swann backs Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
After being dropped, many former cricketers raised serious questions over Gautam Gambhir and the management not backing the 15-year-old batter. Former England spinner Graeme Swann is among the latest to criticise the management.
England spin great Graeme Swann was unhappy with the decision. He said, "The fact is that in the three games that he played, he showed glimpses of what he is capable of. If he had come here for three games and been completely blown away, with stumps everywhere, then fair enough. But you bring in Sanju, who has got lower scores."
"He is not emotionally developed"- Graeme Swann on handling Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
While speaking on Sony Sports Network, Swann has asked the management to treat him well as he has not developed much emotionally and was disappointed after being dropped from the game, which could affect his game in the upcoming months.
"Because he is 15, you have to treat him carefully. Because he is not emotionally developed, he will be disappointed. That could knock him back three or four months. The shoulders will go down," Graeme Swann said on Sony Sports.
"There will be people who say that's international cricket. But when you have the potential of a 15-year-old who could be one of the best ever, you have to nurture that. I don't think he has been nurtured very well. I think he became the victim of the team's performance."
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's recent form
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was devastated after being dropped; however, he still has a chance to prove himself in the upcoming series against Zimbabwe, where Sanju Samson surprisingly has been rested, so the boy wonder will have his chance to prove every bit of his talent in the forthcoming series; he might be seen opening with Abhishek Sharma in the series.
Sooryavanshi had a stellar TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season with Rajasthan Royals (RR) as he finished off the season as the leading run-getter, scoring 776 runs and winning the Orange Cap; he nearly single-handedly carried the Royals to the playoffs and also won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for his exceptional season.
His IPL heroics earned him a call for the India A side for the Tri-Series in Sri Lanka, where he scored a brilliant 94 off 29 deliveries in the final against the home side and took the game away from the very beginning of the match.
