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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's childhood coach criticises Indian team management's handling of 15-year-old as 'dictatorship'

Fifteen-year-old Indian batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who has shown promise with two half-centuries in eight T20I matches this year, was left out of the squad for India’s five-match series against the West Indies starting October 6, 2026. Despite scoring 38 and 15 at the Asian Games and averaging 30.75 in international cricket, Sooryavanshi was excluded from the opening match in Lucknow, with the team opting for experienced openers Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson.

His childhood coach, Manish Ojha, has sharply criticized the team’s approach, calling it a 'dictatorship' that stifles young talent by keeping them on the bench rather than giving them match opportunities. Ojha argued that forcing players to wait indefinitely without playing does not develop them, contradicting the methods used by cricket legends who thrived through real-game experience.

The coach also suggested the management’s decision-making process is arbitrary, leaving Sooryavanshi frustrated and sidelined despite his credentials, including a career-best score of 81 in T20Is.

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