India dropped teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi despite his impressive Asian Games run, preferring Sanju Samson as Gautam Gambhir backed experience and resisted pressure to alter the winning combination.
IMAGE: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi during a training session ahead of the T20I series opener against the West Indies in Lucknow on Tuesday. Photograph: BCCI
Key Points
- India preferred Sanju Samson over teenage Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for the opening T20I against West Indies in Lucknow.
- Sooryavanshi impressed at the Asian Games, scoring 38 in the semifinal and 15 in the gold-medal final against Pakistan.
- Gautam Gambhir said established players cannot be dropped after a few failures simply because a young player is in strong form.
- Gambhir stressed that team selection will be based on the best combination, not social media pressure, while Sooryavanshi waits for his chance.
India chose experience over youth in Lucknow, with Sanju Samson getting the nod ahead of teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for the opening T20I against West Indies.
The decision reflected Gautam Gambhir’s belief that recent form cannot simply outweigh players who have delivered consistently over a longer period.
Samson Gets the Nod Ahead of Teenager
Sooryavanshi, part of India’s gold-medal-winning squad at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, had made a strong impression in the rain-hit tournament.
He scored 38 off 21 balls, including six fours and two sixes, against Sri Lanka in the semifinal before hitting 15 off nine balls with two sixes in the final against Pakistan.
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Gambhir Stresses Patience for Sooryavanshi
Despite the teenager’s impressive run, Gambhir has made it clear that a place in the XI is not guaranteed.
The India coach said he had explained to Sooryavanshi that established players who have performed consistently may get preference when combinations are being considered.
“It was a new experience for me as well. Yes, he was in good form, but I made him understand that sometimes, because of the players who have done well for a long time, he will have to wait for his opportunity,” the India coach said on JioStar’s Follow the Blues ahead of the five-match T20I series against the West Indies.
Gambhir also stressed that social media pressure and outside noise would not dictate team selection.
“And there’s one more thing, social media or outside noise doesn’t decide the playing eleven. It depends on who in that dressing room, or who the coach and captain feel can win us the match, or what is the best playing eleven, and who have done well for such a long time.”
Experience Counts After T20 Success
Gambhir said it would be unfair to drop Abhishek Sharma or Samson after a few failures, given their contribution to India’s T20 success.
He acknowledged that selecting Sooryavanshi would mean having a difficult conversation with one of the established players.
“Because if Vaibhav plays today, then it’s going to be a tough conversation between me and whoever we leave out, whether it’s Abhishek or whether it’s Sanju.
“So, we can’t suddenly ignore a combination that has created such an impact over the last one-and-a-half or two years, and after three or four failures, drop them and play a young player who is very talented, who is also in very good form.
“So, sometimes you will have to wait for your opportunity because we want to create that security in that dressing room.”
