Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will have to wait for his opportunity: Gautam Gambhir

India coach Gautam Gambhir had a simple reason for not giving Vaibhav Sooryavanshi a single game during the series against Afghanistan. Gambhir said the prodigy will have to wait for his opportunity to return to the playing XI of the Indian T20I side.

Sooryavanshi entered the series in hot form as he was Player Of The Series during the Zimbabwe tour, scoring 151 runs at a staggering strike rate of 196.10. However, once Sanju Samson was back in the team, Sooryavanshi was forced to sit out, much to the chagrin of the fans.

Although the series took place before the game on Thursday 17 Sooryavanshi was not selected again as Samson played the series finale.

IND vs AFG, 3rd T20I: MAIN | SCORECARD

WHY SAMSON OVER SOORYAVANSHI?

In the post-match press conference, Gambhir said that Samson has shown what he is capable of for India in the last few years. The India coach pointed to the England series when he dropped Samson for Sooryavanshi and said it was the toughest call he had to make in his coaching career.

But Gambhir said the idea was always to go back to the combination that helped them win the T20 World Cup.

“I think Samson has shown what he’s capable of. You don’t become player of the tournament at the World Cup without talent, so he’s done a lot. Obviously it was difficult – probably the hardest decision I’ve made in my coaching career was to leave him out of the England series because of the way he performed,” Gambhir said.

“But then again, sometimes you go with the player’s form. From my point of view, I wanted to go back to the combination we had at the World Cup, because those guys don’t become bad players after three or four failures. If a team that went from one World Cup to another doesn’t beat and win a World Cup. All of a sudden, after one series, they become a team and these guys don’t become bad players.”

To Samson’s credit, the wicketkeeper scored two fifties during the series against Afghanistan and finished with 117 runs to his name from three matches.

“SOORYAVANSHI MUST WAIT”

When it came to Sooryavanshi, Gambhir said there is never any doubt about the talent but Samson will always take precedence over him.

Gambhir assured that when Sooryavanshi finally gets his chance, he will be given a longer run in the side. But at this point, it will be a game of patience for the 15-year-old.

“From Vaibhav’s point of view, it’s again a very clear conversation that he has to wait for his opportunity. We know the kind of talent he has. We know what he can do. But again, someone who has done extremely well over the years is obviously always going to be ahead of someone who has made the team. Whenever he gets that chance, you also get a longer run,” Gambhir said.

“And that’s what Indian cricket is about. We want the competition, we want that talent in the dressing room. But sometimes that’s the way it goes in cricket. Whether it’s a 15-year-old or a 30-year-old, you have to wait for the opportunity.”

Fans will be hoping to see Sooryavanshi in action during the Japan T20Is or the Asian Games.

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Published on:

18 Sep 2026 0:53 IST