Gambhir says Samson-Sooryavanshi call cost him a night's sleep
The short version
- Gambhir called dropping Samson for Sooryavanshi the only decision that cost him a night's sleep in two years as India's T20 coach
- Samson was omitted after the first T20I in England; Sooryavanshi debuted in Manchester and Samson later returned with back-to-back fifties against Afghanistan
- Gambhir said he had an honest conversation with Samson, who took the call in good spirits
- He said playing XIs are decided inside the dressing room, not by outside noise
- Gambhir also praised Shreyas Iyer's selfless captaincy from their Kolkata Knight Riders days
India's T20 head coach explained why leaving out Sanju Samson for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was the hardest decision of his tenure, and why he backed the veteran to return.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir has admitted that choosing between Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was the most difficult call of his time in charge of the T20 side. Speaking to JioStar before India's home series against the West Indies, Gambhir said the decision to leave out Samson during the tour of England in July left him unable to sleep.
Samson, named Player of the Tournament at the T20 World Cup India won, was dropped after the first of five T20Is in England. Sooryavanshi took his place and debuted in Manchester, before Samson regained his spot during the 3-0 sweep of Afghanistan and struck fifties in successive innings.
Gambhir said he explained the reasoning to Samson face to face, noting that Sooryavanshi's form and the need for runs at the top of the order drove the move. He added that the batter accepted the explanation in good spirits, and that a talented youngster in form must sometimes wait behind players with a long record of success.
The coach also dismissed outside pressure on selection, saying the XI is picked by the coach and captain based on who can win matches, and that a combination which has delivered for close to two years cannot be discarded after three or four failures.
Gambhir also defended continuity over panic, pointing out that India won consecutive T20 World Cup titles within 17 months. He argued that a rough patch in one series is no reason to break apart a winning core.
