Former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel has questioned the decision to leave Sanju Samson out of India's T20I playing XI, saying the team management opted for 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi based more on emotion than logic during the ongoing England series.
Speaking on JioHotstar's show Googlies, Patel also explained why Samson continues to find himself on the fringes despite being one of India's most talented white-ball batters.
'Emotionally it was the right call, but logically why is Sanju Samson out?'
Patel believes Sooryavanshi deserved an opportunity but felt Samson's omission was difficult to justify based purely on performances.
"Emotionally, yes, it was the right call to give Vaibhav Sooryavanshi a chance. But if you go purely by logic, then why has Sanju Samson been left out? So, I think this decision was taken
emotionally," Patel said on JioHotstar.
He added that inconsistency has continued to haunt Samson throughout his career.
"If you look at Sanju Samson's career over the last 11-12 years, the one question that has always followed him is consistency. Even in international cricket, he either blows hot or cold. And when it comes to selection, that factor always comes into play. "
Why does Sanju Samson always become the talking point?
Patel said Indian fans have a tendency to believe the player left out would automatically have performed better.
"Whenever someone isn't in the team, we automatically feel they're the one who would have done a better job. "
He pointed to recent selection debates involving Shreyas Iyer, Rajat Patidar and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as examples.
"Ever since the series against Ireland began, everyone has been saying, 'Play Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. ' Now that he's playing, the question has become, 'Why isn't Sanju Samson playing?' That's just our tendency. "
Abhishek Nayar explains why Vaibhav Sooryavanshi plays without fear
Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar said young players like Sooryavanshi often have the psychological advantage because expectations are minimal.
"The pressure is actually on the bowlers because a young kid has nothing to lose. Even if he gets out first ball to Jasprit Bumrah or Jofra Archer, no one is going to question him. "
"But as he keeps playing and builds his reputation, expectations grow and it becomes much more difficult to sustain those performances. "
Nayar backs Shreyas Iyer's leadership credentials
Nayar also defended Shreyas Iyer's appointment as India's T20I captain, pointing to his consistent record as a leader in domestic and franchise cricket.
"He led Mumbai to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title and has succeeded with teams that weren't considered particularly strong. When you get results with young squads like that, people recognise something special in your captaincy. "
Parthiv Patel on why Shreyas Iyer became India's captain
Patel believes Iyer's IPL captaincy record played a major role in his elevation to the national team's leadership role.
"How your brand as a captain is built is very important. With Shreyas Iyer, it has been an ongoing story. He won with KKR, finished runners-up with Punjab, and players speak very highly of the way he leads. "
"He wasn't even in the T20 World Cup squad, but now he's back and captaining India straight away. That's how it works in the IPL. Whoever has been the best captain over the last two or three years ends up leading the national side. "
