India’s recent T20I run in Ireland and England has brought head coach Gautam Gambhir back into focus. The concern is sharper because Indian cricket has spent much of the last decade moving away from the old habit of treating overseas struggles as routine.
For a long period, an away Test tour to Australia, England or New Zealand often came with low expectations. Even a draw could be seen as a respectable result. That mood has changed. India have become far more competitive outside home conditions, with consecutive Test series wins in Australia in 2019 and 2021, a 2-2 draw in England last summer, and repeated success in the West Indies since the 1-0 series win in 2006.
There are still gaps. South Africa remains the only country where India have not won a Test series, and New Zealand has been a difficult destination, with India’s only series win there in more than five decades coming in 2009. Even so, the broader expectation around Indian teams has shifted. Poor tours now draw closer examination, especially when selection and team balance become part of the debate.
Selection calls bring fresh debate
The latest discussion has centred on 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the left-handed opener from Samastipur in Bihar. His international debut was expected after a strong IPL 2026, where he scored 776 runs and won the Orange Cap. That tally put him ahead of established names including Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill and B. Sai Sudharsan.
Sooryavanshi was picked for India’s seven-match T20I assignment across Ireland and England, with two matches in Ireland followed by the England leg. Despite the attention around him, India did not play him in the first three matches. That changed after India lost both games in Ireland and Sanju Samson’s poor run continued into the first T20I in England.
Samson made 5 and 0 against Ireland, then scored 1 in Chester-le-Street. At that point, India turned to Sooryavanshi. His first two T20I innings in England produced scores of 14 and 13. The numbers were modest, but there was a clear sign of his attacking style: he hit two sixes in each innings, with 24 of his 27 runs across the two matches coming in sixes.
Samson’s place becomes the difficult question
Sooryavanshi’s inclusion came at Samson’s expense, and that has divided opinion. Samson’s T20I career has been uneven despite flashes of high quality. He averages 27.01 in 65 T20Is, with three centuries and six half-centuries from 57 innings.
His case is complicated by what he did only months earlier. Samson was Player of the Tournament at the home T20 World Cup in February-March, where he produced three match-winning knocks in the final stages. He remains part of India’s wider plans, with a place in the Asian Games squad, although he has not been included in the team for three matches in Zimbabwe later this month.
Gambhir addressed the Samson decision at a press conference on Monday. He said he had spoken to the Kerala wicketkeeper-opener and that Samson understood the situation. Gambhir also said the details of that conversation would stay between coach and player.
Higher standards mean less room for drift
The pressure on Gambhir is tied to the standards India have set for themselves. The team has been strong in white-ball cricket as well as Tests, holding the 50-over Champions Trophy and T20 World Cup titles at the same time. India have also lost only twice across the last four ICC limited-overs events from the 2023 50-over World Cup through the 2026 T20 World Cup.
That record makes a difficult UK trip stand out more. It also makes every selection call more visible. India’s system has produced enough depth to introduce a player as young as Sooryavanshi, just as it once backed Jasprit Bumrah despite an unusual bowling action. But depth also creates hard choices, and Samson’s omission shows how quickly roles can change in a crowded squad.
Gambhir is known as a fiercely committed professional, but the current phase leaves him with questions to answer. India’s recent losses in Ireland and England, the delayed use of Sooryavanshi, and Samson’s uncertain T20I place have all become part of the same discussion. For a team used to winning across formats, even a short stumble is now enough to bring scrutiny.
Source: The Hindu Cricket.