R Ashwin's Brutally Honest Take On Vaibhav Sooryavanshi vs Sanju Samson Battle

For the third consecutive match of the T20I series against West Indies, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi failed to find a spot in the Indian team. Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson continue to occupy the two opening spots, with Sooryavanshi being forced to warm the bench. While neither Samson nor Abhishek has been flawless, former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin feels the former has done just enough to keep the 15-year-old Sooryavanshi at bay. While Ashwin admitted that the teenage opener deserves more chances in the team, he also admitted that the competition is such that he has no option but to wait for his turn.

Sharing his opinions on the current competition for places in the Indian team, Ashwin also said that Abhishek Sharma is 'untouchable' as the management believes he can win a match on his own, on a given day.

"I just feel Sanju is doing enough at the moment to keep Vaibhav out of the team. Unfortunately, Vaibhav should be given an opportunity. But what can we do? Such things happen in life. This battle between the two is going on because the Indian team management and everyone knows that Abhishek Sharma cannot be touched. Abhishek Sharma is an exceptional player. If his bat gets going, he always wins matches for India," Ashwin said in a video on his YouTube channel.

Abhishek was instrumental to India's 14-run win over West Indies in the third T20I, scoring 69 runs off 30 balls to lay a strong foundation. Ashwin said he enjoys watching Abhishek play, and feels his career is on an upward trajectory.

"He is a fabulous player. He will keep learning little by little. And what I am seeing as a big positive is that he has been scoring runs on difficult wickets over the last two or three months. This tells me that his graph is moving upwards. He is not stagnating, nor is he going down. So, Abhishek Sharma is a fabulous player, and I have a lot of time for him. I always enjoy watching him play because of his style, grace, and timing. He makes it look so easy."

What Next For Vaibhav Sooryavanshi?

While there's no denying that the current situation makes it difficult for Sooryavanshi to displace either Abhishek or Samson from the opening spot in India's T20I team, it's also true that India can't afford to make Sooryavanshi warm the bench for long. As was seen in the Asian Games, the management could have Sooryavanshi open with Abhishek at the top and feature Samson at the number 3 spot.

With Ishan Kishan coming in at number 4 and Shreyas Iyer at number 5, the Indian batting order certainly gains in attacking prowess with this setup. The final call, however, rests in the hands of the Indian management.

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