“It’s foolishness that the management is doing” - Former India captain slams Gambhir & Co. after NZ vs IND 2026 T20Is

Former Indian opener Kris Srikkanth has taken aim at the Gautam Gambhir-led team management over Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s bench duty in the last two T20Is against New Zealand, a series India won 3-2 despite losing the final two games.

Suryavanshi played the second and third T20Is only because Ishan Kishan strained a right adductor, and he lost his place once Kishan was declared fit. The young left-hander made 4 off 8 at No.3 and then 45 off 19 balls after being promoted to open in Wellington, where he and Abhishek Sharma (113 off 38) added 133 in 7.1 overs as India chased 199 in 13.2 overs.

Talking about Suryavanshi's benching in the final two T20Is against the Kiwis, Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel, Cheeky Cheeka:

"I can’t understand why Vaibhav Suryavanshi didn’t play the last two games. He is in excellent form and proved himself in New Zealand conditions in the previous game. You have to groom this boy, and instead you play him one match and drop him in the next. You are creating an atmosphere that’s insecure for players, be it Samson or Suryavanshi. It’s foolishness that the management is doing."

Samson’s series followed a familiar curve: 67 off 33 balls and the Player of the Match award in Christchurch, then 14, 18, 4 and 4 while moving between opener and No.3.

"Samson has scored only 160 runs in his last 13 matches outside India with a lone fifty. He struggled in Ireland and England and now again in New Zealand. I am not saying they should drop Sanju Samson. But give him a break. Or rotate between the three openers equally. But you can’t keep dropping Suryavanshi," stated Srikkanth.

Without Suryavanshi, India lost the final two T20Is in beatdowns despite winning the series 3-2.

Kris Srikkanth questions why Suryavanshi never plays against the weaker sides

Kris Srikkanth further questioned Vaibhav Suryavanshi's lack of game time against weaker opposition. After earning his maiden Team India call-up for the Ireland and England tours, the 15-year-old debuted against England and missed the two matches against Ireland.

Suryavanshi also missed the entire T20I series against Afghanistan and the West Indies despite being part of the squad on both occasions.

"West Indies was a terrible bowling attack. Suryavanshi should have got an opportunity in those five matches against that bowling. Same way, he didn’t get a chance in the Afghanistan and Ireland series. Everyone else padded their stats in such series against lower-ranked opponents. Against these horrible bowling sides, everyone else plays except Suryavanshi," said Srikkanth (via the aforementioned source).

He concluded:

"Suryavanshi should have debuted against Ireland. But you sat him there and made him play in England. They played around with both Sanju and Suryavanshi in England. Against the West Indies, both could have played two matches. When everyone was increasing their average and scoring 50s and 100s against the West Indies, Suryavanshi didn’t play."

India’s captain and coaching staff have defended the calls, with skipper Shreyas Iyer and assistant coach Sitanshu Kotak both saying a talented teenager’s presence cannot come at the cost of ignoring what Abhishek Sharma and Samson have produced.

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