‘Why is the ax always on Sanju Samson?’: Former chief selector slams Gautam Gambhir-led team management Cricket News

India’s Sanju Samson with head coach Gautam Gambhir (PTI Photo)

Former India chief selector MSK Prasad urges patience before judging head coach Gautam GambhirDuring his tenure, he said India’s two most influential players were missing from the T20I losses to Ireland and England, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah.India endured a tough tour, losing the two-match series 2-0 to Ireland and then 4-0 to England. Pandya missed the tour due to health issues while Bumrah was rested for T20Is.Prasad believes it would be unfair to evaluate Gambhir based solely on these results.“Just because the team is not performing well, we cannot put all the blame on the coach. We cannot say that Gambhir did not inspire the team.” At the same time, just because we win a tournament or a World Cup doesn’t mean it’s only Gambhir who inspires the team. It’s a combination of many things. It is too early to deny Gambhir,” Prasad told PTI.He said the team’s next full T20I assignment will provide a better gauge for the coach and captain.“What we have to assess is when we play the next T20I series, how does the team perform when the whole team is out there, including Bumrah and Pandya? Then we can talk about who motivated who, or whether the captain can handle it, or whether the coach can handle it. So, the next T20 series is what we have to really evaluate.”However, Prasad was critical of the decision to leave Sanzhou Samson This comes after a brief period of low scoring, especially considering the wicketkeeper-batsman’s performance during India’s successful T20 World Cup campaign.“Why is the ax always on Sanju? It would be a big mistake to drop Sanju. He is the best player in English conditions. When the wickets are hard and have bounce, he is outstanding.“He has given winning performances in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals of the recently won T20 World Cup. He is a World Cup player. All of a sudden, in 2-3 games, he doesn’t score and you give up on him.”The former selector also expressed concerns over the handling of teenage starlet Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, saying the youngster should have been introduced more gradually rather than being thrust into a high-pressure series against England.According to Prasad, Suryavanshi’s debut has created unnecessary uncertainty in the starting XI.“Sending Vaibhav to Ireland and Zimbabwe is acceptable. Because if you have to develop a player, I think you should develop him slowly, especially when you’re facing an unbelievable talent at 15 years old.”“We need to be very careful and cautious in fielding him. Look, it caused some uneasiness in the eleven-man game and all aspects put pressure on the coach and captain to field Vaibhav. In the first few games, Sangzhou performed poorly. So, there’s a lot of pressure. When Vaibhav underperformed, there was a lot of pressure to bring back Sanju. “Prasad also questioned why Souryavanshi was not selected for the Ireland series before making his debut against stronger opponents.“First of all, he should wait with Vaibhav and let him go through a full season of domestic cricket in India. He has been playing back-to-back matches, the IPL and then the India A series, he has been on the road for a long time.“For a guy at that age, it’s always better to bring him up slowly. First, he should be included in the Ireland series. It would be a mistake not to include him in the Ireland series first,” he said.