Gambhir Explains Samson’s England Omission, Says Sooryavanshi Must Wait

NEW DELHI-India head coach Gautam Gambhir called the decision to leave Sanju Samson out of the England series “probably the toughest” of his coaching tenure while making it clear that teenage batting star Vaibhav Sooryavanshi would have to wait for his opportunity to play for India.

Over the last week, fans at the Arun Jaitley Stadium had hoped to see Sooryavanshi showcase his batting in India colors on home soil for the first time. However, he did not get a game in India’s 3-0 series win over Afghanistan, which ended with a 127-run victory for India.

“I think his talent itself is enough for him to be impressive. I think he showed what he is capable of. Someone doesn’t become a Player of the Tournament in a World Cup without having any talent, so he has done enough,” Gambhir said at the post-match press conference.

“Obviously, it was tough, probably the toughest decision I’ve taken in my coaching tenure, leaving him (Samson) out in that England series because obviously the way he performed before that,” he added.

Sooryavanshi became India’s youngest debutant a couple of months ago in England, where he scored 42 runs in three matches. He followed that with a strong series against Zimbabwe, finishing as the leading run-scorer with 151 runs at an average of 50.33 and a strike rate of 196.10. He was also named Player of the Series.

With Samson short of runs, Sooryavanshi appeared to be in contention to open against Afghanistan. Gambhir instead returned to Abhishek Sharma and Samson, the pair that opened for India during their 2026 T20 World Cup triumph.

The decision paid off as the duo scored 346 runs between them across the series, including a 142-run opening stand in September 17 match.

“But again, sometimes you go with a player’s form as well, and in this series, I was always very clear, from my point of view, that we want to go back with the combination that we had during the World Cup because those guys, after three or four failures, don’t become bad players.

“The kind of cricket we play, if a team that has gone unbeaten from one World Cup to the other World Cup and has won the World Cup, I’m sure it’s a gun team. So, that means it doesn’t become a bad team after one or two series and these guys cannot become bad players after two or three failures,” Gambhir said.

He also said Sooryavanshi had been clearly told that he would have to wait for his opportunity, with age not determining the order in which players get their chances.

“So, that is what these guys have shown here as well. It was again a very clear conversation that he has to wait for his opportunity.

“We know what kind of talent he has. We know what he can do. But again, someone who’s done extremely well over a period of two years. Obviously, that’s how cricket goes, whether you’re 15-year-old or 30-year-old. Then you have to wait for your opportunity,” he concluded. (IANS)