Why was Sanju Samson axed? Gautam Gambhir's big admission

New Delhi: A bruising bilateral series against New Zealand, not any lingering doubts over ability, convinced the Indian team management to leave Sanju Samson out of the playing XI at the start of the T20 World Cup, head coach Gautam Gambhir has revealed.

Samson, whose 97 not out against the West Indies on Sunday carried India into the semi-finals, had managed only 46 runs in five outings against New Zealand (10, 6, 0, 24, 6) after being given a full run. The sequence triggered a temporary break designed to release the Kerala batter from an unrelenting spotlight.

“Obviously, he had a tough series against New Zealand. So sometimes it’s important to give him a break as well, because you want to get the guy off that pressure situation,” Gambhir told reporters after the eight-wicket win.

The stop-start nature of Samson’s tournament began when he was left out of the opener against the USA. A last-minute illness to Abhishek Sharma opened the door for a cameo against Namibia, but the right-hander was dropped again until personal tragedy—Rinku Singh rushing home after his father’s death—combined with the side’s wish to balance left- and right-handers at the top. Samson was recalled and responded with a 24 off 15 against Zimbabwe that, in Gambhir’s words, “laid the foundation” for Sunday’s master-class.

Batting at a strike-rate of 194 yet appearing in complete control, Samson leaned on classical drives and sharp running rather than muscle. “I actually thought that he never accelerated the innings. It was just very, very normal cricketing shots,” Gambhir said. “That is the kind of talent he has.”

The coach, who has kept an open channel with every member of the squad, underlined that Samson’s three T20 hundreds mark him as a rare talent. “We always knew that whenever we need him in the World Cup game, he’ll come and deliver for us.”

With two matches remaining, Gambhir hopes the Caribbean innings proves a launchpad rather than an isolated flourish. “Hopefully this is a time for him to kick off and probably two more games to go, hopefully,” he said, sounding every bit the believer in a player whose roller-coaster month now carries the promise of a defining finish.