‘Why is the ax always on Sanju Samson?’: Ex-chief selector shouts at Gautam Gambhir-led team management

India’s Sanju Samson with head coach Gautam Gambhir (PTI Photo) Former India chief selector MSK Prasad has called for patience before judging head coach Gautam Gambhir’s tenure, saying the T20I defeats to Ireland and England were without two of India’s most influential players, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah.India endured a tough tour, losing the two-match series against Ireland 2-0 before suffering a 4-0 defeat to England. Pandya missed the tour due to fitness concerns while Bumrah was rested from T20Is.Prasad feels that it would be unfair to rate Gambhir based on these results alone.“Just because the team didn’t do well, we can’t put the onus on the head coach alone. We can’t say that Gambhir didn’t inspire the team. At the same time, just because we won tournaments or the World Cup, it doesn’t mean it’s only Gambhir who inspired the team. It’s a combination of many things. It’s too early to write off Gambhir,” Prasad told PTI.He said the next task of the full-strength T20I team will provide a better benchmark for both the coach and the captain.“What we have to assess is when we play the next T20I series, when the whole side is there, including Bumrah and Pandya, how is this team doing? Then we can talk about who inspires who, or whether the captain or the coach can handle it. So the next T20 series is something we really have to assess.”However, Prasad was critical of the decision to drop Sanju Samson after a short run of low scores, especially considering the wicketkeeper-batsman’s performances during India’s successful T20 World Cup campaign.“Why is the ax always on Sanju? Dropping Sanju was a big mistake. He is the best player in English conditions. He is extremely good when the wickets are hard and bounce.”“He bowled match-winning knocks in the quarter-final, semi-final and final of the recently won T20 World Cup. He’s a World Cup player. And suddenly in 2-3 matches he doesn’t get runs and you drop him.”The former selector also expressed concern over how teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi would handle it, saying the youngster should have been introduced gradually rather than being thrust into a high-pressure series against England.According to Prasad, Sooryavanshi’s debut created unnecessary uncertainty within the playing XI.“Sending Vaibhav to Ireland and Zimbabwe is acceptable. Because if you have to build a player, I think you should build him slowly, especially when you’re dealing with an incredible talent at the age of 15.”“We have to be very cautious and cautious in fielding him. You see, it caused a bit of unrest in the playing XI, the kind of pressure all quarters put on the coach and the captain to play Vaibhav. Sanju didn’t do well in the first few games. So there was a lot of pressure. When Vaibhav didn’t do well, there was again a lot of pressure to bring Sanju back.”Prasad also questioned why Sooryavanshi was not picked for the Ireland series before being handed a debut against stronger opposition.“He should have waited with Vaibhav first and let him go through one full season of Indian domestic cricket. He’s been playing non-stop, IPL, then India A series, he’s been on the road for quite some time now.”“For someone of that age, it’s always better to work him up the order slowly. He should have put him in the Irish series in the first place. Not putting him in the Irish series first was a mistake,” he said.