Some selection decisions are straightforward, while others can leave a lasting impact on a coach. For Gautam Gambhir, leaving Sanju Samson out of India’s T20I side in favour of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was one such call. The India head coach has now revealed how difficult the decision was and admitted that it even kept him awake at night.
Speaking to JioStar, Gambhir opened up about the selection dilemma and revealed that dropping Samson was arguably the toughest decision of his coaching tenure in T20 cricket.
“Probably that was, I’ll be honest with you, in two years of my journey, that was the only night I could not sleep. And I told this to Sanju. Because I knew that it was probably the toughest decision in my coaching tenure in a T20 format,” Gambhir said to JioStar.
Samson had enjoyed a strong run and was named Player of the Tournament, making his exclusion even more difficult. However, Sooryavanshi’s impressive form presented the team management with a selection headache, particularly with India looking for greater intent at the top of the order.
“Someone who was player of the tournament, and then you have to leave him out after three or four games. The reason was probably Vaibhav was in that kind of form as well, and we had to win the series.”
Gambhir revealed that he had a straightforward conversation with Samson before making the call. With India needing an aggressive start at the top, the youngster’s form eventually tipped the balance in his favour.
“I had a very, very honest conversation with him,” Gambhir said.
“Vaibhav was in that kind of form, and we needed someone to score runs at the top, we needed that little bit of platform at the top as well. And he was fine with it.”
Interestingly, Gambhir’s explanation also highlights the other side of the selection equation. While Sooryavanshi’s form earned him an opportunity ahead of Samson, the youngster may also have to wait for his chance when established players are performing consistently.
“I made him understand that sometimes, I know you’re in good form, but sometimes, the players who have done well for a long time, you will have to wait for your opportunity,” Gambhir said.
With Sooryavanshi’s performances continuing to attract attention, the India head coach also stressed that external pressure will not dictate the team’s playing XI. Gambhir made it clear that selection will ultimately be based on what the captain and coaching staff believe gives India the best chance of winning.
