Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s rapid rise has given Indian cricket another exciting batting option, but his emergence has also created a difficult selection call for the team management. With the teenager making a strong impression, leaving him out of the T20I playing XI is becoming increasingly difficult. However, his inclusion also means another player has to make way. The biggest challenge comes at the top of the order.

Sooryavanshi is an opener, while Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson have established themselves as India’s current opening options. Abhishek has consistently shown his ability to attack from the very first ball, fitting perfectly into India’s aggressive approach in T20 cricket. Samson, meanwhile, has often found himself under greater scrutiny whenever he fails to convert his opportunities. A couple of low scores can quickly trigger questions about his place in the XI, particularly with Sooryavanshi waiting for an opportunity.

However, Samson’s recent contributions should not be overlooked. Earlier this year, he played three consecutive match-winning innings as India secured a historic third T20 World Cup title at home. Despite that success, the Kerala batter continues to face questions over his position whenever competition for places intensifies.

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Speaking after India’s convincing win over Afghanistan in the second T20I on Tuesday night, Sanju Samson acknowledged that difficult selection decisions are part of international cricket. He also revealed that he understood the thinking behind Sooryavanshi’s inclusion during the England tour earlier this year. “Running an Indian team is not an easy thing. You see, a 15-year-old boy (Sooryavanshi) has scored 700-800 runs (in IPL).”

Samson explained that Sooryavanshi was in outstanding form and deserved an opportunity, while he himself had not delivered in two or three matches. “He was in form and he wanted to win games in that series. It was very understandable from a leadership kind of a thing.”

The experienced wicketkeeper-batter also highlighted the importance of communication when players are left out or difficult calls have to be made. According to Sanju Samson, India head coach Gautam Gambhir had spoken to him extensively before and during the Afghanistan series.

“Communication was very important. Even now, there was a lot of communication in the middle of the series. Even before this series, he (head coach Gautam Gambhir) spoke to me a lot.” Samson believes leadership groups cannot always make popular decisions. Instead, difficult choices sometimes have to be made with the team’s interests in mind.

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“It is very easy to take very popular decisions. But I think as a leadership group, we have been taking some really tough calls, keeping the team in front.” With Sooryavanshi continuing to develop and Abhishek already playing an aggressive brand of cricket, India’s opening combination could remain a closely watched selection issue. For Samson, however, clarity and communication appear to be just as important as the final decision.