Former India cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has shared a controversial opinion on young opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi who got into a physical altercation with Sri Lanka A’s Vishen Halambage in the previous game. Manjrekar says that had he been India A’s coach during the ongoing tri-series, he would’ve benched Sooryavanshi for the Afghanistan A match to teach him consequences of physical altercations on the field.
“If I was India A coach or manager I would have left Vaibhav Suryavanshi out for this game v AFG. Only to let him know that’s it’s not OK to get physical on the field. Whatever the provocations,” Manjrekar wrote on X.
ALSO READ: Why Nitish Kumar Reddy is not playing in 2nd ODI vs Afghanistan? BCCI shares update
Sooryavanshi fails to convert another start
Sooryavanshi had a trouble stay at the crease in the must-win game against Afghanistan A. He got two reprieves early in the innings but lost his wicket to a short ball from left-arm pacer Faridoon Dawoodzai. The young southpaw went for the pull shot but the ball got big on him and he ended up getting caught at cover-point. He scored 38 runs from 28 balls, including four fours and a couple of sixes. He shared a 75-run opening partnership with Priyansh Arya who went on to score a half-century.
India coaching staff backs Sooryavanshi
Meanwhile, amid inability to convert starts into big scores in One-Day format, Sooryavanshi has got support from India’s senior team’s spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule. He is of opinion that Sooryavanshi was provoked. However, he does not want the 15-year-old to repeat the mistake. He wants both Sooryavanshi and Sri Lanka A players to be taught how to behave on the field.
Halambage sanctioned, BCCI refrains from knee-jerk reaction
The match referee Pradeep Jeyapragash has reportedly sanctioned Halambage for sledging and provoking Sooryavanshi into physical altercation after a tense super over finish. On the other hand, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary, Devajit Saikia, has refused said that he wants Sooryavanshi and India A team to focus on the tri-series. He indicated that the 15-year-old won't face any sanctions at least for now.
If India A progress to the final of the tri-series, Sooryavanshi will play on June 21. Otherwise, he will join the T20I side in Ireland for the two-T20I series later this month. It will be followed by a five-T20I series against England.