India head coach Gautam Gambhir has opened up about one of the toughest selection decisions of his coaching tenure, admitting that leaving Sanju Samson out of the England series was particularly difficult.  Samson had been part of India’s T20 World Cup-winning squad and finished the tournament strongly, scoring 97 not out, 89 and 89 in his final three appearances.

However, his returns on the subsequent tours of Ireland and England dipped, with the wicketkeeper-batter managing scores of 5, 0 and 1. Gautam Gambhir explained that India wanted to return to the combination that had delivered the T20 World Cup title, while stressing that a few failures should not define established players.

“Obviously, it was tough [leaving him out in the UK]. Probably the toughest decision I’ve taken in my coaching tenure is obviously leaving him out in that England series. Because obviously, the way he’s performed before that. But again, sometimes you go with players’ form as well,” Gautam Gambhir said, as quoted by Cricbuzz.

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The head coach added that India remained confident in the players who had helped the team achieve sustained success.

“We were always very clear. From my point of view, I was very clear that we want to go back to the combination that we had during the World Cup. Because those guys, after three or four failures, do not become bad players,” he said. Samson subsequently returned to the squad for the Afghanistan T20I series and made the most of his opportunity. He played all three matches, scoring 117 runs at a strike rate of 180, including two half-centuries. He also contributed a fifty in the series-deciding third T20I after another half-century in the previous game.

Gambhir also addressed the decision to keep 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi out of the playing XI throughout the Afghanistan series. Sooryavanshi had replaced Samson for the England series but did not get a game in the three-match Afghanistan contest.

The India coach said the youngster’s omission was about patience rather than a lack of confidence in his ability. Gambhir acknowledged Sooryavanshi’s talent but pointed to the experience of established players ahead of him.

“From Vaibhav’s point of view, it was again a very clear conversation that he has to wait for his opportunity. We know the 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, will always be ahead of someone who’s just got into the team,” Gambhir said. He added that once Sooryavanshi gets his opportunity, the youngster is likely to receive a sustained run.

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“Whether you’re a 15-year-old or a 30-year-old, when you have to wait for your opportunity, you have to wait for your opportunity,” Gambhir concluded. The comments underline India’s emphasis on competition, patience and maintaining a successful combination while managing emerging talent.