'Can't make everyone happy': Gautam Gambhir issues blunt response to criticism over dropping Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
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'Can't make everyone happy': Gautam Gambhir issues blunt response to criticism over dropping Vaibhav Sooryavanshi originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- India coach Gautam Gambhir said his role is to make the right decisions, not popular ones.
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored 4 and 45 in two games against New Zealand before missing the next two.
- The head coach said players with strong long-term records deserve a longer rope.
Gautam Gambhir hits back at critics over Vaibhav Sooryavanshi snub in 4th & 5th T20Is vs NZ
Gautam Gambhir has made it clear that keeping everybody happy is not part of his job description while responding to critics who questioned the decision to leave out Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
The young left-hander was not part of the XI for the fourth and fifth T20Is against New Zealand, and it is a call that has drawn a lot of noise on social media.
Sooryavanshi had been given his chance in the second and third matches of the series after Ishan Kishan was ruled out through injury. He made 4 in the first of those two games and then smashed 45 from 19 balls in India’s six-wicket win in the third T20I, an innings that made many fans believe he had done enough to hold his place.
Instead, Kishan came back from his injury for the fourth game in Auckland, and Sooryavanshi sat out. Kishan was dismissed for a three-ball duck as India were bowled out for 172 while chasing a huge target of 260.
The team management then stuck with the same top-order combination for the final match in Hamilton. However, the social media noise is bound to grow louder with both Indian openers, Abhishek Sharma (1) and Sanju Samson (4), departing cheaply in the 5th T20I in Hamilton.
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What did Gautam Gambhir say about Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's omission?
Gambhir spoke about the pressure of public opinion, the need for security in the dressing room and the faith he places in players who have performed over a long period.
“First of all, my job is not to make everyone happy. My job is to take the right decisions, not the popular decisions. And that is what I’m there for," the coach opined.
“I think sometimes in today’s day and age with so much of social media and all that chatter, what happens on the outside. No, it is very easy to take the popular decision. But for me, I think the important thing is to take the right decision and make sure that there is a lot of security inside the dressing room.”
Finally, he turned to the talent question that had been put to him and explained why some players get more time than others.
He said: “Because as you just mentioned that there’s a lot of talent. But again, I think guys have done phenomenally well over a longer period of time. Obviously deserves a longer rope. And that is exactly how we approach the series.”
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Gambhir’s stance on Sooryavanshi is fair, but it needs a clearer message
Gambhir has a point when he says selection should not follow social media noise. A team that changes its mind after every big innings would soon lose its shape, and the players inside the camp need to know where they stand.
Even so, it is hard to ignore how this looks from the outside. Sooryavanshi made 45 off 19 balls in a win, and he lost his place to a player coming back from injury who then had a duck.
A coach can defend that choice by pointing to long-term records, yet the same coach has to explain what a young batter must do to keep a spot.
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There is also a sample-size issue. Two innings of 4 and 45 cannot tell anyone whether Sooryavanshi belongs at this level, and nobody should pretend otherwise. That argument cuts both ways, because it supports giving him more games as much as it supports leaving him out.
India are in a position where they can afford to be patient and fair together. The series was settled before the last two matches, so those games were a good place to offer more time to a player with obvious talent. Gambhir may be right that he cannot make everyone happy, but he can still give the young batter a clearer path.
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