India defeated Afghanistan by 127 runs in the third and final T20I at Arun Jaitley Stadium on September 18, 2026. The series victory capped a strong performance from the Indian team, but the selection decisions drew attention, particularly regarding young batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who did not appear in the playing XI across any of the three matches.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir addressed the decision in detail, explaining the reasoning behind Sooryavanshi’s exclusion from the squad. Gambhir acknowledged the 15-year-old’s talent while outlining the selection philosophy that guided the team’s choices during the series.
“From Vaibhav’s point of view, it was a very clear conversation that he will have to wait for his opportunity. We know the kind of talent he has and what he can do, but someone who has been performing for the last 2–3 years will always be ahead of someone who has just entered the team. Whenever he gets his run, he will get a longer run as well. That is what Indian cricket is all about—we want competition and talent in the dressing room, but that’s how cricket goes. Whether you’re a 15-year-old or a 30-year-old, when you have to wait for your opportunity, you have to wait for your opportunity,” Gambhir said in the post-match press conference.
Sooryavanshi’s exclusion and the selection philosophy
Sooryavanshi made his international debut for India during the T20I series against England in July 2026. The young batter had impressed in the Indian Premier League 2026, where he was named MVP and scored 776 runs for Rajasthan Royals. Despite his domestic form and early international exposure, Gambhir’s comments underscored that established performers would retain priority in the squad.
Sanju Samson featured throughout the Afghanistan series and delivered strong performances with the bat. The wicketkeeper-batter scored 50 in the series-deciding third T20I and struck a half-century in the second match. Gambhir backed Samson’s selection, emphasising that his track record and proven ability justified his continued presence in the team.
“I think his talent itself is enough for him to be in the dressing room. I think he’s shown what he’s capable of. Someone doesn’t become a Player of the Tournament in a World Cup without having that talent. So he’s done enough. Obviously, it was tough—probably the toughest decision I’ve taken in my coaching tenure was leaving him out in that England series, considering how he performed prior to that,” Gambhir added.
Backing established performers over recent failures
The head coach further explained that the Afghanistan series represented a deliberate return to the combination that had succeeded during the World Cup. Gambhir stressed that recent failures do not diminish the quality of established players, and that consistency in selection philosophy remained important.
“But again, sometimes you go with player form as well. In this series, we were always very clear from my point of view that we wanted to go back to the combination we had during the World Cup. Because those guys, after three or four failures, do not become bad players,” Gambhir said.
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Gambhir concluded by reflecting on the team’s overall trajectory and the strength of the squad that had remained unbeaten across the World Cup cycle. He emphasised that a team which had won the World Cup and maintained an unbeaten record could not be judged solely on short-term results.
“The cricket we’ve played—if a team has gone unbeaten from one World Cup to another and won the World Cup, I’m sure it’s a gun team. Suddenly, it doesn’t become a bad team after one or two series, and these guys do not become bad players after two or three failures. That is what these guys have shown here as well,” Gambhir said.
