‘Dropping Samson toughest decision as head coach’: Gautam Gambhir

India's head coach Gautam Gambhir recently revealed that dropping Sanju Samson was the toughest decision he has ever made in his coaching career. The decision came after India's triumphant T20 World Cup run, following their 3-0 series win over Afghanistan. Samson joined the squad after briefly losing his place to the talented Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who only played four games in the tour to Ireland and England.

Samson's form soon improved, with two successive half-centuries, but he was eventually dropped ahead of Sooryavanshi for the Zimbabwe tour. Despite falling cheaply in the first innings, Samson showed his potential and was reinstated at the top of the order against Afghanistan. Gambhir stated that Samson had proven his worth without becoming the Player of the Tournament in the World Cup.

He explained that the decision to leave him out of the England series was difficult, as the team wanted to revert to the combination that had been successful during the World Cup. Gambhir also affirmed that Samson was always ahead in the squad composition, and Sooryavanshi will have to wait for his opportunities.