Gautam Gambhir: 'Sanju Samson has been given clarity on his omission'

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India head coach Gautam Gambhir has confirmed that Sanju Samson was given details regarding his position after being dropped from the starting lineup, while keeping the door open for the wicketkeeper-batter to return during the active T20I series against England.

Even though Samson was left out of the travelling squad for the next tour of Zimbabwe, Gambhir insisted that the veteran cricketer is still under consideration for the remainder of the five-match English series, where the touring Indian team currently trails 0-2 following two defeats and a rain-curtailed match.

“The clarity that should have been given to Sanju Samson, he has got from me,” Gambhir said after India’s 125-run defeat in the third T20I here on Tuesday.

“And that conversation is between a head coach and a player. The contents of that conversation are obviously not something I’ll share with you.”

“We are absolutely clear that what Sanju has done for India, especially during the World Cup, has been phenomenal. Sometimes, though, you also have to look at the form of a certain player. There is no hard and fast rule that he cannot make a comeback in this series,” he added.

Sanju Samson is not included in Indian team for Zimbabwe tour

Samson, who took home the Player of the Tournament award during India’s recent T20 World Cup triumph, lost his spot in the playing XI to 15-year-old batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The change followed a string of low scores from the wicketkeeper, who played disappointing innings of 5, 0, and 1 across his last three outings against Ireland and in the opening game against England.

Furthermore, the 31-year-old missed out on the 15-member squad bound for a three-match T20I series in Zimbabwe. For that tour, selectors opted for Prabhsimran Singh on the back of his strong performances for Punjab Kings in the IPL.

Emphasising the team selection, Gambhir clarified that picking the squad and the starting eleven will always depend on immediate form and fielding the most competitive unit on the day.

“Ultimately, international cricket is about results. Whatever we feel is the best combination to get us those results, we will play that combination and that playing XI,” he said.

“I’ve always believed that everyone needs to earn their place. Everyone needs to earn the right to play for India,” he concluded.

(With inputs from PTI)

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