Gautam Gambhir has explained to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi why the 15-year-old will have to wait for his opportunity in India’s T20I side, despite being in good form and making a strong case for himself at the Asian Games.
India will take on the West Indies in a five-match T20I series at home from October 6 to 17, with the three-way race for the openers’ slots set to be one of the key selection talking points.
Vaibhav was not picked for any of India’s three T20Is against Afghanistan at home, with the team opting to continue with Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma at the top. Gambhir said he had personally spoken to the youngster and explained why India were not prepared to break up a combination that had delivered for a prolonged period.
“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,” Gambhir told JioStar’s Follow the Blues.
Vaibhav subsequently made his opportunity count at the Asian Games, where India were coached by VVS Laxman. He struck 38 off 21 balls in the semi-final against Sri Lanka before making a quickfire 15 in the gold-medal clash against Pakistan, hitting two sixes.
Samson, by comparison, made 7 off 9 against Sri Lanka and 2 off 4 in the final. Abhishek scored only seven in the semi-final but responded with a match-winning 61 off 28 against Pakistan.
Vaibhav’s performances have therefore strengthened his case, but Gambhir remains unwilling to view a young player’s current form in isolation.
“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,” Gambhir said. “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.”
SOCIAL MEDIA CAN’T DECIDE PLAYING XI
The head coach also made it clear that selection would not be dictated by the noise surrounding the team, particularly on social media.
“Social media or outside noise doesn’t decide the playing eleven,” he said.
“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.”
For Gambhir, the decision is also about creating a sense of security within the team. India’s opening combination of Abhishek and Samson was part of the side that won the 2026 T20 World Cup, and he does not believe a few poor outings should automatically force a change.
“It is very easy for me to take popular decisions, but it is probably the toughest thing for me to take the right decisions,” Gambhir said. “And we’ve taken the right decision of continuing with Sanju and Abhishek.”
“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.”
Last month, Gambhir made it clear that dropping Sanju Samson during India’s tour of England was one of the toughest calls he had taken. Sooryavanshi was handed his T20I debut in England when Samson made way for the teenager after a stretch of just three low scores, which came right after his T20 World Cup-winning performances. Samson himself admitted he was able to understand why the team management took the call, citting Sooryavanshi’s record-breaking IPL campaign.
Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma are likely to open for India against the West Indies in the first T20I, which will be played at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Tuesday.
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