Gautam Gambhir Answers Million-Dollar Question After Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's T20I Snub

Gautam Gambhir explained selection snub to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi© BCCI/Creimas

India head coach Gautam Gambhir has often been in the line of fire over his selection calls. The most recent player under the spotlight over selection chatter on social media has been Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. With Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma doing reasonably well as India's opening pair in T20I cricket, opportunities for Sooryavanshi have been limited. Gambhir, the head coach of the Indian team, revealed that he did have a chat with the 15-year-old batter and explained to him the dynamics of the team that make it difficult for him to keep giving opportunities to Sooryavanshi, even if he is in form.

"It was a new experience for me as well. Yes, he was in good form, but I made him understand that sometimes, because of the players who have done well for a long time, he will have to wait for his opportunity. And there's one more thing, social media or outside noise doesn't decide the playing eleven. It depends on who in that dressing room, or who the coach and captain feel can win us the match, or what is the best playing eleven, and who have done well for such a long time," Gambhir said on JioStar's 'Follow the Blues: Gautam Gambhir Unfiltered'.

In the T20I series against Afghanistan, Sooryavanshi didn't get a single opportunity to open for India. Gambhir said if he gives Sooryavanshi an opportunity in the team, it becomes difficult for him to justify the same to the batter who is dropped, be it Abhishek or Samson.

"If Vaibhav plays today, then it's going to be a tough conversation between me and whoever we leave out, whether it's Abhishek or whether it's Sanju. So, we can't suddenly ignore a combination that has created such an impact over the last one and a half or two years, and after three or four failures, drop them and play a young player who is very talented, who is also in very good form. So, sometimes you will have to wait for your opportunity because we want to create that security in that dressing room."

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Gambhir, who has faced criticism from former players, pundits and even fans on social media over his handling of the team, said that it is easier for him to take 'popular decisions' but tougher to take the right ones.

"It is very easy for me to take popular decisions, but it is probably the toughest thing for me to take the right decisions. And we've taken the right decision of continuing with Sanju and Abhishek. And no team in the history of sport has gone undefeated from one World Cup to the other and gone on to win the World Cup again. Suddenly, one bad series or three bad games here and there does not make them a bad player or does not make us a bad side. So, it was very important for us to have that continuity," said the head coach.

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