ENG vs IND 2026: ‘Why spoil his future?’ - Kris Srikkanth blasts Shreyas Iyer over Vaibhav Sooryavanshi snub

Former India cricketer Kris Srikkanth has criticised T20I captain Shreyas Iyer over what he described as the unfair treatment of teenage batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi during India's white-ball tour of Ireland and England. Srikkanth expressed his disappointment after Sooryavanshi was left out of the playing XI for the fifth and final T20I against England, questioning the skipper's remarks at the toss regarding the decision.

The 15-year-old featured in only three matches during the UK tour but was unable to capitalise on his opportunities. Sooryavanshi struggled to recreate the explosive form he displayed during the Indian Premier League, failing to cross the 20-run mark in any of his innings.

Despite the youngster's modest returns, Srikkanth believed he deserved a longer run in the side before being dropped. The former India opener was particularly unhappy with Iyer's explanation at the toss ahead of the final T20I in Southampton and did not hold back while criticising the captain's handling of the promising left-handed batter.

“I was so upset with the interview after the toss. This is not the way to talk. How you treat your players and how you form a young team are important. If this is the way forward, the way forward is to change everybody (the leadership group). He said we want to take the best way forward. If you are willing to drop players based on their performance, the same yardstick should apply to Gautam Gambhir; the same yardstick should apply to the captain as well. You are saying the players are not performing. What has been your performance?,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.

When asked about the decision to leave out Sooryavanshi, Iyer said the team management had made the call based on what was best for the side. However, Srikkanth disagreed with the skipper's reasoning and pointed to the treatment of both Sooryavanshi and Sanju Samson to question the decision-making.

Samson was dropped after three disappointing outings, while Sooryavanshi was also given just three matches before making way for Samson in the playing XI for the fifth T20I. Srikkanth argued that the teenager deserved a longer run and was unconvinced by the explanation provided for his omission.

“Shreyas Iyer said at the toss, 'We want to get back to the best way possible'. Is this your best way forward? What is this interview? If you thought Sanju Samson was the best fit, then you should have continued with him. Why bring in Vaibhav and then drop him? Why spoil his future? You are all ruining his confidence. When Sachin Tendulkar made his debut at 16, i went up and told him 'you won't be dropped in this tour. You play fearlessly. Should Gambhir and Shreyas not give Sooryavanshi that kind of confidence? It's not fair. I am very upset with the way they are treating Vaibhav Sooryavanshi,” Srikkanth concluded.