Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 'a fish out of water' at No. 3, Ashwin warns India after NZ T20I

Ashwin questions India's handling of teenage sensation in Christchurch

Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has openly questioned the team management's call to send 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in at No. 3 during India's second T20 International against New Zealand in Christchurch, warning that the promotion looked misjudged.

Sooryavanshi, who replaced the injured Ishan Kishan in the playing XI, was thrust into an unfamiliar position after Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma continued to open the batting. Walking in during the sixth over, the teenager managed just four runs off eight balls before his dismissal.

Speaking after the match, Ashwin described the youngster's innings as a missed opportunity but was careful not to write him off so early in his international career.

"That is a miss. For a young cricketer like Vaibhav, 'miss' is too early I think to say, but because I have only two options of a hit or a miss, he just found himself a little like a fish out of water. He kept going hard, kept going hard for the eight balls," Ashwin said.

Ashwin felt the teenager was simply uncomfortable in the role and needed steady guidance from a senior batter to help him settle rather than swing across the line.

"It did not feel like he was ever timing the ball, and that is when you need a senior partner to walk down to him and say, 'Calm down, just hang in there, look to play close to your body, watch the ball better.' Sometimes, as a batter, all you need to be told is to watch the ball closer. You do miss that in all the action that happens around you. So I just felt like he was a fish out of water. Walking in during the sixth over is not his cup of tea," he explained.

Samson should shift to No. 3, Ashwin suggests

Ashwin proposed a rejig if India are determined to keep Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson in the same XI. He pointed out that Samson has previously batted at No. 3 for India and would be a more natural fit.

"Look, I think they played this combination before, and Sanju had to skip down to number three. If they are going to go with this combination, I am not too sure Vaibhav has got to bat at number three, but it is what it is. Today it was a miss for Vaibhav," Ashwin said.

Middle order earns Ashwin's praise

While critical of the top-order experiment, Ashwin was fulsome in his praise for India's middle order — Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Ramandeep Singh — who steered the side in the chase of New Zealand's total of 180.

"India's middle order is coming through nicely. That is six, seven, and eight. It looks pretty dangerous. All of them can belt the ball. Ramandeep is a very good hitter of pace bowling. He is showing that he can really club spinners as well. To stand and hit a spinner of Mitchell Santner's pedigree is no joke, and that tells you the ability of a batter. He looks unflappable when he is batting. Great temperament," Ashwin said.

"Tilak Varma is echoing great temperament. I am not too sure about Nitish's temperament yet, but there is enough power for teams to be concerned about when they come up against India's lower middle order and middle order. It is a big hit for me," he concluded.