‘That is a miss’: Ravi Ashwin questions Sooryavanshi’s demotion to No. 3 in 2nd T20I vs NZ

Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin sounded unhappy with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s demotion to number three in the recently concluded second T20I in Christchurch. Usually an opener, the teen batting prodigy returned to the T20I side as an injury replacement for Ishan Kishan, and looked like a pale shadow of himself. The left-hander departed for just four off eight balls, leaving India in a dicey spot during the game, but importantly looked out of sorts.

Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma opened the innings, with Vaibhav walking in at number three in the sixth over. Although his brief stay at the crease raised questions over his dip in confidence and shot selection, Ashwin decided not to quickly judge his performance negatively.

Also read| Sooryavanshi fails to fire on India comeback as top-order struggles in 2nd T20I

"That is a miss. For a young cricketer like Vaibhav, 'miss' is too early, I think, to say, but because I have only two options of a hit or a miss, he just found himself a little like a fish out of water. He kept going hard, kept going hard for the eight balls," he said.

Ashwin said Sooryavanshi needed guidance from seasoned batters while settling into a new batting position, adding that a senior player could have helped him stay calm and focused on the game.

"It did not feel like he was ever timing the ball, and that is when you need a senior partner to walk down to him and say, 'Calm down, just hang in there, look to play close to your body, watch the ball better.' Sometimes, as a batter, all you need to be told is to watch the ball closer. You do miss that in all the action that happens around you. So, I just felt like he was a fish out of water. Walking in during the sixth over is not his cup of tea," he explained.

Samson Should have Batted at 3

Ashwin said in a case where India is playing three openers, Samson, being the most experienced of the three, should have batted at number three and let Abhishek Sharma and Sooryavanshi take up the opening slot.

"Look, I think they played this combination before, and Sanju had to skip down to number three. If they are going to go with this combination, I am not too sure Vaibhav has got to bat at number three, but it is what it is. Today it was a miss for Vaibhav," Ashwin added.

Meanwhile, Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 51 off 26 balls and handy contributions from all-rounders Naman Dhir and Nitish Kumar Reddy saw India complete an improbable run chase and take a 2-0 lead in this five-match T20I series.