New Delhi, Sep 18: India head coach Gautam Gambhir has asked teenage opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to remain patient and wait for his opportunity, with Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson continuing to occupy the opening slots in the T20I side.
Sooryavanshi was left out of India’s playing XI for the third T20I against Afghanistan on Thursday, where Abhishek smashed the third-fastest century in T20I cricket to power India to a 127-run victory and a series sweep.
Abhishek and Samson were Gambhir’s preferred opening combination throughout the three-match series and finished as the leading run-scorers for the two sides.
“From Vaibhav’s point of view, it was a very clear conversation that he will have to wait for his opportunity,” Gambhir said.
“We know the kind of talent he has and what he can do, but someone who has been performing for the last two to three years will always be ahead of someone who has just entered the team,” he added.
Gambhir indicated that Sooryavanshi would receive an extended opportunity when his turn comes.
“Whenever he gets his run, he will get a longer run as well,” he said, stressing that competition for places was an important part of Indian cricket.
The 15-year-old Sooryavanshi has made a promising start to his international career, scoring two half-centuries in six T20I appearances since making his debut against England in July.
Gambhir said India had intentionally returned to the Abhishek-Samson combination that featured during the T20 World Cup.
“In this series, we were always very clear from my point of view that we wanted to go back to the combination we had during the (T20) World Cup,” he said.
He also backed the experienced pair, saying a few failures should not lead to questions over their ability.
“Those guys, after three or four failures, do not become bad players,” Gambhir said.
“If a team has gone unbeaten from one World Cup to another and won the World Cup, I’m sure it’s a gun team,” he added.
Gambhir said the competition for places, regardless of a player’s age, was part of the game.
“Whether you’re a 15-year-old or a 30-year-old, when you have to wait for your opportunity, you have to wait for your opportunity,” he said.
