Indian Sanju Samson with coach Gautam Gambhir (PTI Image)
Former India chief selector MSK Prasad urged patience before judging coach Gautam Gambhir’s tenure, saying the T20I defeats to Ireland and England came without two of India’s most influential players, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah.India suffered a difficult round, losing the two-match series to Ireland 2-0 before suffering a 4-0 defeat to England. Pandya missed the tour due to fitness concerns, while Bumrah was rested for the T20Is.
Prasad believes it would be unfair to evaluate Gambhir on those results alone.“Just because the team did not perform well, we cannot put the onus on the coach alone. We cannot say that Gambhir did not inspire the team.
At the same time, just because we win trophies or world cups doesn’t mean Gambhir is the only one who inspired the team. It’s a combination of many things. “It is too early to write off Gambhir,” Prasad told PTI.He said the team’s next full-strength T20I stint will provide a better gauge for both the coach and the captain.“What we have to evaluate is when we play the next T20I series when the whole team is there, including Bumrah and Pandya, how is this team performing? Then we can talk about who is inspiring whom, or whether the captain is able to handle it, or the coach is able to handle it.
So, the next T20 series is something we have to really evaluate.”But Prasad criticized the decision to leave
Sanju Samson
He is out after a brief spell of low scores, especially considering the wicket-keeper’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 bowler in English conditions. He is very good when the wicket is strong and bouncing.“He produced winning performances in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final of the T20 World Cup which he won recently. He is a World Cup player. Suddenly, in 2-3 matches, he is not running and you drop him.”The former selector also expressed his concerns about the handling of teenage pacer Vaibhav Suryavanshi, saying the youngster should have been introduced gradually rather than 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 OK. Because if you have to build a player, I think you have to build him slowly, especially while dealing with an unbelievable 15-year-old talent.“We need to be very careful about bringing him in. Look, it has caused some turmoil in the No.11, the kind of pressure that all quarters are putting on the coach and captain to play Vaibhav.
In the first two matches, Sanju did not perform well. So, there was a lot of pressure. When Vaibhav did not perform well, there was a lot of pressure again to bring Sanju back.”Prasad also questioned why Sooryavanshi was not selected for the Ireland series before he made his debut against stronger opposition.“Initially, he should have waited with Vaibhav, and let him play a full season of Indian domestic cricket. He has been playing continuously, IPL and then India A series, he has been on the road for some time.“For someone of that age, it’s always better to bring him slowly through the ranks. He should have, first and foremost, been included in the Ireland series. Not including him in the Ireland series first was a mistake,” he said.