Correspondent, 21 October: With a five-match T20 series between India and New Zealand scheduled to begin this coming Thursday, the Indian squad is heavily focused on fielding its best possible playing XI. However, because Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma are currently delivering strong performances as opening batters, the chances of India's youngest explosive batsman, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, getting an opportunity to play appear highly unlikely.
Suryavanshi was previously denied playing time during the series against the West Indies as well. Having begun his international career in July 2026, the young batter has competed in a total of eight T20 internationals to date. These include three matches each against England and Zimbabwe, along with two appearances against Japan. Reacting to the fact that Suryavanshi is being consistently kept out of the playing squad, former star cricketer Mohammad Kaif has sharply criticized the Indian team management.
Speaking to the sports news agency Cricbuzz, Kaif expressed a blunt opinion regarding Suryavanshi's current situation. He stated that if the management does not intend to provide Suryavanshi with opportunities in international fixtures, the player should be sent back to domestic cricket. Noting that the Ranji Trophy tournament is currently underway, Kaif suggested sending him there to compete. He pointed out that while a similar decision was previously made for Yashasvi Jaiswal, the same consideration has not been extended to Suryavanshi.
Kaif clearly remarked that merely keeping players on the bench does not help improve their performance, emphasizing that they need actual playing opportunities. Offering advice to the Indian team management, the former cricketer asserted that there should not be separate rules for different players and that equal regulations must apply to everyone. Following Kaif's pointed remarks, it will be important to see whether Vaibhav Suryavanshi actually receives a chance to play.
