Gautam Gambhir has revealed that the decision to bring Sanju Samson back into India’s playing XI midway through the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 was driven purely by the team’s aggressive batting philosophy.According to the India head coach, the move was not about countering specific bowling match-ups but about adding more firepower at the top of the order as part of the team’s attacking approach developed over the past 18 months.
Focus on explosive powerplay batting
Gambhir dismissed speculation that Samson’s inclusion was aimed at breaking a sequence of left-handed batters in the top order. Instead, he emphasised that the team management wanted a more explosive start during the powerplay overs.
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“A lot of people might say we wanted to break the three left-handers at the top, but that was not the reason at all. The ideology over the last one and a half years has been to go out and be as explosive as possible,” Gambhir said while speaking on JioStar.“It wasn’t about managing an off-spinner from the other end. A quality batter should be able to handle any type of bowler. The idea was whether we could add even more aggression in the first six overs.”
Samson’s ability to change games quickly
Gambhir highlighted Samson’s natural attacking ability, saying the wicketkeeper-batter can completely change the course of a match within the powerplay. “We know what Sanju can do. There was never any doubt about his talent or explosiveness. If he gets going, he can win you the game inside the first six overs.”The coach also pointed to the depth in India’s batting lineup, which made the top order even more dangerous. “Imagine having Abhishek, Sanju and Ishan as your top three, and then you have Surya, Hardik, Tilak, Shivam and Axar to follow. You really can’t ask for anything more.”
Casual conversation with Samson
Gambhir also shared how Samson was informed about his return to the team, revealing that the conversation happened casually during a gym session before India’s match against Zimbabwe.“I conveyed it to him in the gym. In fact, we were both training together and I just told him that you’ll be playing against Zimbabwe, and he said, ‘let it come.’ That’s the kind of casual conversation we have. It’s not like a head coach and player’s relationship. It’s a relationship where most of our one-on-one conversations happen during practice sessions,” he noted.Gambhir also spoke about backing young opener Abhishek Sharma despite his slow start in the tournament, urging him to remain fearless and focus on his approach rather than the scrutiny around his scores.“I’ve had a worse experience than him in 2014 during the IPL, when I got three ducks in a row and then another in the fourth game as well. All I told him was that people will look at your scores and will talk about your form, but actually you are not out of form, you are just out of runs,” Gambhir opined.He further explained that players should be judged only after spending enough time at the crease, saying, “The only time you can judge your form is when you have played 20 to 30 balls in the middle, and he hasn’t even faced 20 balls yet. All I wanted him to do was go out there in the next game and be even more aggressive compared to what he was in the previous game.”Encouraging the youngster to stay committed to his attacking mindset, Gambhir added, “If you want to hit the first ball out of the ground, go and do it, and commit yourself to it 100 per cent because it really doesn’t matter what the world thinks about you. All that matters is what those 30 people in the dressing room think about you, and that is exactly what should matter to all the boys. There was no doubt whatsoever about Abhishek. For anyone, to be honest, in that dressing room, we always had faith and trust in everyone who was selected to represent the country in the T20 World Cup.”
