The selection committee’s decision of not picking Suryakumar Yadav for the upcoming tour of Australia has been met with criticism from several quarters. The Mumbai star has been in stunning form for quite some time now and was being widely backed to earn his maiden India call-up at least for the T20Is for the upcoming series.

He has been in good form in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) too. Plying his trade for his home franchise Mumbai Indians, the 30-year old has scored 283 runs at an average of 31.44 and strike-rate of 148.94 so far in the season. But his consistent performances in domestic cricket and IPL is yet to be rewarded by the national selectors.

Fans as well as several former cricketers have criticised the decision and now former India skipper Dilip Vengsarkar has joined the bandwagon too. The batting legend called Suryakumar as one of the most talented batsmen in the country at present while expressing his surprise over the Mumbai star’s omission.

“I’m astounded at the omission of Surya, who is currently one of the most talented batsmen in the country, from the teams selected for the Australian tour. As far as sheer potential is concerned, I can compare Surya with the best in the Indian team. He has scored runs consistently. I don’t know what else he has to do to merit a place in the Indian team,” Vengsarkar told the Times of India.

Dilip Vengsarkar calls for Sourav Ganguly’s intervention

The former batsman not only expressed his surprise but also urged BCCI president Sourav Ganguly to probe the right-handed batsman’s exclusion. Vengsarkar opined that Suryakumar Yadav would have been a good option in the middle-order in the absence of Rohit Sharma who has missed out on all the three squads due to an injury.

“A batsman is at his peak from the age of 26 to 34. and I feel Surya (30) is at the peak of his career. If form and fitness is not the criteria, then what is it? Can anybody explain? With Rohit (Sharma) out of the team due to (a hamstring) injury, Surya should have been there to strengthen the middle order. BCCI president Ganguly should question the motive behind dropping Surya,” the former India chief selector asserted.