Nottingham: India head coach Gautam Gambhir has insisted that he has been given full clarity on Sanju Samson’s exclusion from the Indian squad and squad for the T20I series against Zimbabwe.
Samson, who was adjudged man of the match during India’s successful T20 World Cup campaign in March after scoring unbeaten 97, 89 and 89 in his last three innings, has since endured a difficult run of form.
Scores of 5, 0 and 1 during the tours of Ireland and England resulted in the 15-year-old losing his place to Vaibhav Suriyavanshi.
Although Samson is in England’s squad, where India are trailing 2-0 in the T20I series, he has been left out of the squad for the three-match T20I series in Zimbabwe later this month.
Speaking after the third T20I at Trent Bridge, Gambhir said the wicketkeeper-batsman has already got the explanation he needs.
“The clarification that should have been given to Sanju Samson, he got it from me. That conversation was between a head coach and a player and frankly I won’t divulge the contents of that discussion.
“As far as clarity goes, we are absolutely clear. What Sanju did for India during the World Cup was phenomenal, but sometimes you have to look at a player’s form as well. There is no hard and fast rule that he can’t come back in this series.
“Most importantly, international cricket is ultimately about results. The combination we play is what we think is the best combination to deliver those results. I have always believed that everyone deserves their place and the right to play for India.”
India’s selectors and team management have come under increased scrutiny after dropping both captain Suryakumar Yadav and player of the tournament Samson from the World Cup-winning squad.
The team has lost all four matches since lifting the trophy, including a 2-0 series loss to Ireland – the first time India have lost an international series to the Irish.
Gambhir admitted that India’s recent struggles reflect the challenges of rebuilding a team, while stressing that adapting to conditions is a key part of progress.
“Conditions are important, but if you look at this T20 side, there have been a lot of changes. When you reset a team, things like this can happen. There are significant changes from the XI that played in the T20 World Cup final. A new captain, a different opening batsman, and players like Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah are out of the squad.
“When you reset it, it takes time. A 15-year-old boy starts batting, Prince Yadav is playing only his second T20I, and Harshit Rana is coming back from injury. We are all focussed on results, rightly, but we also have to be practical. It takes time for players to progress, especially against a quality team like England. These things will not happen after the reshuffle.”
The former India opener also highlighted the importance of developing game awareness and adapting to match situations.
“Assessing the conditions is important, but so is studying the game. Even small things like wind or differences in boundary sizes can have a huge impact on T20 cricket.
“Sometimes, these things happen when the entire batting line-up plays a high-risk, high-reward game. Experienced middle-order batsmen have to adapt to the situation.
“We did that during the World Cup. Our top three played aggressively, but our numbers four and five were still able to create and anchor the innings when needed. That’s something we didn’t have today.”