Former Indian Test opener Wasim Jaffer reckons Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was fast-tracked into the Indian team due to media hype and public emotion. Sooryavanshi made his T20I debut in the second game of the series against England but was stumped after scoring 14 runs off 10 deliveries. In the next two games, the youngster returned with scores of 13 and 15 and was dropped in the final game at Rose Bowl, Southampton on Saturday.
Sooryavanshi had earned his maiden T20I call-up after scoring 776 runs in 16 matches of IPL 2026 at a blistering strike rate of 237.30.
The prodigy batter was dismissed on short-pitched deliveries in the third and fourth T20Is by his RR teammate Jofra Archer before he was out stumped in the second game.
Wasim Jaffer said on his YouTube Channel, “I think we rushed Vaibhav’s inclusion. There was a lot of media hype around him, and the public was very emotional about seeing him play. Otherwise, I had already said that I would have continued with Sanju Samson. I wouldn’t have changed that combination. Vaibhav had to wait for his opportunity, and when that opportunity came, he could have taken it. He’s still very young, and he can learn a lot just by being around the team and watching cricket from the outside.”
“It felt like we got carried away by the media hype. Every time Vaibhav didn’t play, there was a lot of discussion about it. I just thought he should have been made to wait. If you were absolutely convinced that Sanju wasn’t in good form or wasn’t playing well, then you could have taken that decision. But eventually, it felt like you rushed Vaibhav into the team,” he added.
Jaffer also questioned the selectors and team management for dropping Sanju Samson for the Zimbabwe tour.
“Then, after giving him three matches, you brought Sanju back. Sanju himself played only one match, and now he’s been left out of the Zimbabwe tour. Dropping him from the Zimbabwe tour also seemed a bit strange to me because I’m sure he would have wanted to play. As it is, he only plays one format for India. So, in my opinion, he should be given regular opportunities. I’m sure Sanju Samson will be part of the plans for the next World Cup because he’s a match-winner. The way things unfolded really surprised me.”
India and England will next take on each other in a three-match ODI series, starting Tuesday at Edgbaston, Birmingham.
