Former Indian cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra has reacted to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi not getting an opportunity to play even a single match in the five-match T20I series against the West Indies. He believes that it will be difficult for Vaibhav to get a chance naturally in the current team combination and that the team management will have to make a special place for him.
Aakash Chopra stated that for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to enter the playing XI, he would have to replace one of Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, or Ishan Kishan. However, he said it would not be easy to drop any of these three players while they are scoring runs.
https://twitter.com/Crex_live/status/2112088231839986104
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra explained that the main reason Vaibhav was not getting opportunities was the lack of a place for him in the team. He said Vaibhav could only be accommodated in place of Sanju, Abhishek, or Ishan, and dropping one of them suddenly would be difficult when all three were performing well. However, he suggested that a rotation policy could be used to give all four players opportunities.
Chopra further opined that if there is no opportunity to play Vaibhav in the playing XI, it would be better to allow him to play in the Ranji Trophy rather than keep him in the squad. He expressed the view that keeping a player on the bench without giving him match time would not benefit him much.
Meanwhile, Aakash Chopra did not support the argument that Tilak Varma should be dropped from the team to make room for Vaibhav. He pointed out that Tilak had scored two centuries while batting at No. 3. Although Tilak faced some difficulties after returning from injury, he has been performing well since taking on the role of a finisher.
https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/1883201668915118548
Chopra also noted that Tilak Varma had performed effectively in the middle and lower-middle order in the Asian Games and recent matches. Therefore, he made it clear that targeting Tilak Varma to create an opportunity for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi would not be the right decision.
