A Sleepless Night for the India Coach
India head coach Gautam Gambhir has revealed the emotional difficulty behind one of his biggest selection calls in T20Is. He admitted that dropping Sanju Samson during the England series left him unable to sleep. Samson was named Player of the Tournament during India’s T20 World Cup triumph earlier this year. But he was left out after the first match of the five-game series in England in July. India had lost that opening T20I, and teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi came into the XI for his T20I debut in Manchester.
The Toughest Decision of His Tenure
Gambhir said the decision weighed heavily on him, especially because Samson had played such an important role in India’s World Cup success. Speaking to JioStar ahead of India’s home season against the West Indies, the India coach revealed just how difficult the call was. He said that in two years of his journey, that was the only night he could not sleep. He told Samson this because he knew it was probably the toughest decision in his coaching tenure in a T20 format. Someone who was Player of the Tournament had to be left out after three or four games. The reason was that Vaibhav was in that kind of form, and India needed to win the series.
An Honest Conversation with Samson
Gambhir explained that he had a very honest conversation with Samson. He told him that Vaibhav was in great form, and the team needed someone to score runs at the top. They needed a platform at the top as well. Samson was fine with it and took it in good spirits. The call was eventually reversed when India returned home for their three-match T20I series against Afghanistan. Samson came back into the side at Sooryavanshi’s expense. He went on to hit back-to-back fifties as India completed a 3-0 series sweep.
Why Form Alone Does Not Guarantee a Place
Gambhir also used the episode to explain why even a player in exceptional form cannot automatically expect a place in India’s playing XI. He said he understands it is tough. But he made Samson understand that sometimes players who have done well for a long time have to wait for their opportunity. He also said that social media or outside noise does not decide the playing eleven. The playing eleven is decided by what the coach and captain feel can win the match. It is about who has done well for a long time. If Vaibhav plays, then it becomes a tough conversation with whoever is left out, whether it is Abhishek or Sanju.
The Importance of Continuity and Trust
Gambhir said that the team cannot suddenly ignore a combination that has created such an impact over the last one and a half or two years. They cannot drop players after three or four failures and play a young player who is very talented and also in very good form. Sometimes players have to wait for their opportunity. Gautam Gambhir said they still want to create security in the dressing room. He said it is very easy for him to take popular decisions, but it is probably the toughest thing to take the right decisions. They have taken the right decision of continuing with Sanju and Abhishek.
Backing the Team’s Recent Success
Gautam Gambhir pointed out the short turnaround between India’s World Cup triumphs. He said that in two years, India won the World Cup. He asked which team in the history of sport has gone undefeated from one World Cup to the other and gone on to win the World Cup. It did not take these players 17 years to win the second World Cup. It took them only 17 months to win the third World Cup. He said that suddenly one bad series or three bad games here and there does not make them bad players or make India a bad side. So it was very important for the team to have that continuity.
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