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Cricket pundits Graeme Swann and Sunil Gavaskar have strongly criticized Team India's decision to drop teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi from the playing XI for the fifth T20I against England.

The 15-year-old prodigy, who made his international debut in the second T20I, managed scores of 14, 13, and 15 in his three outings, modest but promising starts. However, the team management opted to bring back Sanju Samson, despite his poor run of 5, 0, and 1 earlier in the series. Swann argued that dropping a raw 15-year-old so abruptly could severely damage his confidence and set back his development by months.

Gavaskar echoed similar sentiments, stating that the youngster deserved at least one more game to prove himself and learn from his dismissals. Both experts believe Sooryavanshi became an unfortunate scapegoat for the team's overall batting failures, rather than being judged fairly on his own merit.

India captain Shreyas Iyer defended the move, citing the need to finalize the best combination for future challenges. Nevertheless, the backlash continues to grow against what many see as a harsh and counterproductive selection call.