Fans Want Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to Replace Sanju Samson in India XI
Cricket lovers worldwide, and especially in India are demanding that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi be handed his debut cap and replace the out-of-form Sanju Samson in the playing XI
The CSK batter, Samson, fell cheaply once again during the first T20I match against England
Sooryavanshi has been sitting on the sidelines for the third match despite growing calls for his debut
For several weeks there has been an ongoing debate over Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s debut. If the 15-year-old does make it to the playing XI, who does he replace? In the opening T20I of the five-match series against England, the fans appear to have got their answer.
The spotlight is very much on the CSK batter, Sanju Samon. The wicket-keeper batter has been going through a long rough patch and he had yet another forgettable outing at Durham against England in the first T20 match. He fell cheaply once again, as India slipped to six for two within the first two overs of the match against the host nation.
With Samson failing to score any significant runs and losing his wicket cheaply inside the powerplay, and Sooryavanshi was left watching helplessly from the dressing room, supporters reached their boiling point. The passionate cricket fans in India flooded social media demanding the struggling star to make way for the teenage batting sensation who continues to wait for his chance to play for India at the highest level.
Fans calls for replacing Samson with Sooryavanshi
Many cricket fans pointed directly to the Indian team management’s stubbornness and Samson’s struggles. “As expected Gautam Gambhi and Shreyas Iyer have kept Vaibhav Sooryavanshi out of the playing XI,” one fan wrote, noting that “Sanju Samson was finding it difficult to middle the ball.”
For them the decision to keep the new teenage sensation had more to do with Gambhir’s belief that veterans should always get the first chance. But so far this philosophy has not worked in India’s favour.
India is coming off an embarrassing 2-0 loss to a low ranked side like Ireland, and the fans are running out of patience. One of the supporters argued the situation was becoming absurd. “With Sanju Samson bagging a string of low scores, it will be farcical if Vaibhav Sooryavanshi does not walk out with Abhishek Sharma to open on Saturday.”
Another fan insisted the time for excuses was over. “It is time to hand Vaibhav Sooryavanshi his debut. It should not matter whether Tilak Varma has to sit out or Sanju Samson moves to 3,” they wrote, concluding that “Vaibhav has earned his chance.”
The call for a change at the top of the Indian batting order is getting louder
The cricket fans are increasingly getting difficult to argue with. While the runs from Samson have dried up at an alarming rate in his recent outings, persisting with an out-of-form batter while one of the most talented and exciting young batters in world cricket is carrying drinks is a stance that is growing hard to justify for the Indian team management.
Samson, of course, is a proven match-winner and deserving of the chances he is getting. Yet cricket is ultimately a results-oriented game, and if he keeps failing to score runs for the team, the management may soon find the clamour for Sooryavashi impossible to ignore.
