Kris Srikkanth questions India's decision to drop Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

Former India captain and chief selector Kris Srikkanth questioned the team's decision to leave Vaibhav Sooryavanshi out of the first T20I against Afghanistan. The 15-year-old was named Player of the Series after India's 3-0 sweep in Zimbabwe, yet India chose Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson as openers at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Srikkanth said even his wife had asked why the teenager was excluded.

India won the opening match by seven wickets with Jasprit Bumrah taking his 350th T20 wicket. The team management retained the same XI for the second match despite calls for Sooryavanshi to play. ESPNcricinfo reported that the teenager warmed the bench while India chased a repeat of the near-perfect opener.

Srikkanth criticised the inconsistent selection of both Sooryavanshi and Samson. He urged clearer selection policies after the teenager scored heavily in the Duleep Trophy for East Zone before the series began.