Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Finds Support From Pakistan After Being Ignored For Afghanistan Opener

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi warmed the bench in the first India vs Afghanistan T20I in New Delhi on Sunday. This is the last T20I series that India will play before the Asian Games. Sanju Samson got the nod ahead of Sooryavanshi, the 'Player of the Tournament' in the last T20I series that India played against Zimbabwe. The veteran Samson could not score big and is under pressure, with Sooryavanshi breathing down his neck. Sooryavanshi has found support from Pakistan too. Former Pakistan star Kamran Akmal said India should treat the Afghanistan bilateral as a stage to groom their backup players.

"One hundred percent. Sooryavanshi does not sit out against this team. If you play them against England, you are dropping them against Afghanistan," Akmal was quoted as saying by HT.

"I think series like these help develop backup players. Whether it is MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma, they did not play against such teams. They would get three or four core players to rest. I don't understand why Bumrah is playing, why Arshdeep Singh is not playing."

The second T20I will be played on Tuesday in New Delhi. India spinner Varun Chakaravarthy was on Monday ruled out of the ongoing T20 series against Afghanistan due to a side strain, making him doubtful for the upcoming Asian Games.

Chakaravarthy had recently recovered from a hamstring injury that he suffered on the tour of England in July. He picked up a wicket in the series opener against Afghanistan that India won comfortably, conceding just 16 runs in his four overs.

"It is a fresh injury. MRI has revealed that it is a side strain. He is out of the series and looks unlikely for Asian Games," a BCCI source told PTI.

The injury management at the Centre of Excellence has come under the scanner of late, with players getting injured frequently. Chakaravarthy is another example of that trend.

The fresh injury makes Chakaravarthy highly doubtful for the Asian Games beginning on September 19. India will also play a historic T20 against Japan on September 22 before beginning their Asian Games campaign in Nisshin, Japan, on September 28.

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