Even before India’s teams for various cricketing formats were announced on Saturday, the inclusion of one player seemed to be a certainty. So what if he is just over 15? After all, he has stirred the imagination of the world with audacious swings of the bat. As Vaibhav Sooryavanshi pulverised some illustrious bowlers to notch up an eye-watering strike rate of 237, he remained the central character of this year’s IPL.
So it’s no surprise that he came to be named in the T20 international squad as the youngest male cricketer to don the India cap, eclipsing Sachin Tendulkar’s record. Even the Indian cricket board has acknowledged that Vaibhav is a generational talent and made concessions in rules for his parents to accompany during the upcoming England tour. For now, Sooryavanshi needs to be protected with a bubble wrap, allowing him to focus on learning and doing what he does best—smash sixes and win matches.
Another name that attracted attention on selection day was of Shreyas Iyer. The Mumbai batter has been sensational over the last few years and shown enough leadership acumen during stints as the Punjab Kings and Mumbai state skipper for the selectors to repose faith. So the out-of-form Suryakumar Yadav, 35, who skippered India to this year’s T20 World Cup title after a two-year stint at the top, paved the way for Shreyas, 31, to take charge of a full-strength team going to the Asian Games later this year. In the process, the selectors did something extremely unusual in Indian cricket: they also dropped SKY from the team. In contrast, M S Dhoni passed on the baton to Virat Kohli after stepping down as the T20I captain. Rohit Sharma retired from T20Is after winning the World Cup; in ODIs, he was removed as captain after the Champions Trophy win, but retained his place as a batter.
This shows the clear-eyed approach of the selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir. They reduced the element of sentiment, focused on talent and form, and hoped it would translate into favourable results in the years to come. With the next T20 World Cup just a couple of years away, the focus is on youth and development—just as it should be.
