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Gautam Gambhir’s past remarks regarding Sanju Samson have resurfaced following the latter’s exclusion from the Indian cricket team for the upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka. Samson’s absence from the squad, despite his recent standout performance—a match-winning century against South Africa—has sparked controversy and criticism.
Critics argue that Samson has consistently delivered strong performances but has still struggled to secure a permanent place in the team. Many are pointing fingers at Gautam Gambhir, the current head coach, for what they perceive as inconsistency in selection criteria.
The decision to leave out Samson, who played a pivotal innings of 108 runs off 114 balls in his last ODI outing, has raised eyebrows and led to scrutiny of Gambhir’s stance on the talented wicketkeeper-batter in the past.
As India prepares for their tour of Sri Lanka, where Rohit Sharma will lead the ODI squad, the omission of Sanju Samson remains a hotly debated topic among fans and analysts alike.
In 2020, Gautam Gambhir took to Twitter to hail Sanju Samson as the promising future of Indian batting talent. “Sanju Samson is not just the best wicketkeeper-batsman in India but the best young batsman in India! Anyone up for debate?”
After Sanju Samson’s impressive century against South Africa in Paarl, Gautam Gambhir expressed optimism during an interaction on Star Sports, suggesting that such a significant innings should secure Samson a consistent place in the team.
“But today, the way he made a big score, I believe that hopefully he will get a consistent run from here and you will get to see Sanju Samson’s best.”
If Sanju Samson does not go on to play for India, it is not Sanju Samson’s loss. It is India’s loss – Gautam Gambhir
In another instance of high praise for Sanju Samson, Gautam Gambhir emphasized the keeper-batter’s potential, suggesting that had it been MS Dhoni hitting massive sixes instead of Samson, it would have sparked widespread excitement. Gambhir underscored the importance of crediting Samson for his contributions, stressing that the Rajasthan Royals captain deserves consistent support akin to what Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli received early in their careers. He confidently predicted that Samson has the capability to ascend to the top spot among batters in the future.
“I think the only playing XI he does not fit in is India playing XI. Apart from that, I think he fits in all the World XIs, to be honest. Tell me if MS Dhoni had hit these kind of sixes, what would have happened? So, this is where the problem is. You have to give credit to guys who that exceptional talent. And you know what, if Sanju Samson does not go on to play for India, it is not Sanju Samson’s loss. It is India’s loss. And I hope that Sanju Samson is backed the same way Rohit Sharma has been backed and Virat Kohli has been backed.
“I think you’re losing out on a talent who probably will be a number one batter in the world in future if you back him. Unfortunately, we haven’t backed him till now and I think people sitting in those big rooms or probably the selection committees, selection rooms, should be scratching their heads about why wasn’t Sanju Samson part of the T20 or probably part of the last World Cup. And in fact, I picked him as a number four batter in the last World Cup as well,’ he had said.
