Gautam Gambhir told Vaibhav Sooryavanshi he must wait for his chance in India’s Playing XI. Gambhir said, "Sometimes, because of the players who have done well for a long time, he will have to wait for his opportunity." The coach added that team selection depends on winning, not outside noise.
After India blanked them 3-0, Gambhir spoke about Sooryavanshi, reminding the public that the youngster would have to wait for his chances. But when the role is so demanding, and one that requires you to offer clarity to players, it is the behind-the-scenes conversations that put a head coach on the hot seat. Still, Gambhir was completely honest with Sooryavanshi, informing him that it would not be easy for him to break into the Playing XI because the two players ahead of him have brought India tremendous success.
"It was a new experience for me as well. Yes, he was in good form, but I made him understand that sometimes, because of the players who have done well for a long time, he will have to wait for his opportunity. And there's one more thing, social media or outside noise doesn't decide the playing eleven. It depends on who in that dressing room, or who the coach and captain feel can win us the match, or what is the best playing eleven, and who have done well for such a long time,” Gambhir said on JioStar's 'Follow the Blues’ show.
"If Vaibhav plays today, then it's going to be a tough conversation between me and whoever we leave out, whether it's Abhishek or whether it's Sanju. So, we can't suddenly ignore a combination that has created such an impact over the last one and a half or two years, and after three or four failures, drop them and play a young player who is very talented, who is also in very good form. So, sometimes you will have to wait for your opportunity because we want to create that security in that dressing room,” the coach added.