Gautam Gambhir said it was important to give Sanju Samson a break after poor run against New Zealand
Added that team management always knew that whenever needed in T20 World Cup, Samson would "come and deliver"
Head coach said he does not believe in data, and relies on instinct instead
Called England a world-class team and Wankhede a tough venue for semi-final
Sanju Samson possesses undeniable talent but his poor form in the bilateral series against New Zealand forced the Indian team management to give him a break ahead of ICC T20 World Cup 2026, head coach Gautam Gambhir said after the Kerala wicketkeeper-batter powered the hosts into the semi-finals with his superlative knock. Samson produced an unbeaten 97-run innings under pressure, anchoring a challenging 196-run chase against the West Indies in Kolkata on Sunday (March 1).
"Obviously, he had a tough series against New Zealand. So sometimes it's important to give him (Samson) a break as well, because you want to get the guy off that pressure situation as well," Gambhir said at the post-match press conference.
After being sent down the order in the Asia Cup, Samson got a full series as an opener against New Zealand but a poor sequence of scores -- 10, 6,0, 24, 6 -- led to critics writing him off. Samson didn't start against the USA in India's tournament opener but Abhishek Sharma's ill-health brought him back for the Namibia game before being dropped again.
A tragedy with Rinku Singh (death of his father) and India's bid to break the monotony of too many left-handers at the top-order, prompted the team management to bring Samson back.
So what kind of conversations did the coach have with Samson to keep him in right frame of mind? "I have conversations with everyone and the most important thing is the guys who are part of this squad, are world-class players and that's why they are representing the country. We always knew the talent that Sanju had. Three T20 hundreds, not many people have it, so we always knew that.
"And we always knew that whenever we need him in the World Cup game, he'll come and deliver for us." Gambhir believes that seeds of Samson's match-winning knock against the Windies were sown during his quickfire 15-ball-24 against Zimbabwe in the previous game, when he replaced Rinku.
"Against Zimbabwe, he delivered for us. We got a start that we wanted in the first three overs. And today, again, from where he left against Zimbabwe, he showcased his talent. And this is what we expect from Sanju to do more consistently."
The hallmark of Samson's innings was the pace at which he scored the runs. He went at a strike rate of nearly 194, yet it never looked as if he was going ballistic. Gambhir agreed.
"I actually thought that he never accelerated the innings. It was just a very, very normal cricketing shots and I never saw any muscling the ball as well and that is the kind of talent he has."
'Shivam's Two Fours As Important As Sanju's 97'
For Gambhir, the essence of team sport is acknowledgement of every contribution big or small, which according to him was missing in Indian cricket for long. Had Shivam Dube not smashed a couple of boundaries in the penultimate over, no one would have spoken about Samson's knock, he felt.
Gambhir asserted that till he is the coach, every contributions will get an honourable mention. "...for many years, we've only spoken about certain contributions. This is a team sport, and this will always remain a team sport," He said, without referring to any specific cases.
"For me, Shivam's two boundaries are as important as Sanju's 97 because if he hadn't hit those two boundaries, you won't have even spoken about it (97-run knock). The big contribution makes headlines. The small contribution, the contribution that can help the team win, cross that line, are very important."
'Coaching Mantra Based On Instinct, Not Data'
While most coaches across the globe would say that data has huge role to play in T20 cricket, Gambhir championed the old-school methodology of relying on gut feel.
"I don't believe in data, honestly. I've never seen the data. I don't even know what data is all about. I absolutely do not believe in it, because I feel it's more about instinct," Gambhir said, though the Indian team apparently relies much on data analyst Hari Prasad.
Speaking about the team's strengths, Gambhir said: "For me, I think we are very fortunate that we've got world-class players. Imagine someone like Jasprit (Bumrah) or Arshdeep or even Varun, we can use them at any phase of the game.
"And from the batting point of view, you've got power. That is something which is very important. When you've got power, you're never away from the chase. You're never out of the game as well."
On the semi-final against England, Gambhir termed Harry Brook's side as "world class" and Wankhede as a very tough venue. "They (England) are a world-class team, they've got a lot of quality players as well and we all know that Wankhede is a tough venue.
"Hopefully, we can turn up and see that we have another opportunity to do something special for the team, for the country and hopefully we play the best game as well," Gambhir said.
(With PTI inputs)
Why did Gautam Gambhir not play Sanju Samson in initial matches of T20 World Cup 2026?
India head coach Gautam Gambhir said it was important to give Sanju Samson a break after his poor form against New Zealand, given the kind of pressure that can bring.
Did Gambhir compare Shivam Dube's eight-run cameo with Samson's 97-run knock?
Yes and no. While Gambhir did not exactly equate the two, he called them equally important, stating that if Dube not hit a couple of boundaries in the 19th over of India's chase, "no one would have spoken" about Samson's innings.
Did Gambhir called data in T20 cricket over-rated?
Yes, he did. The India head coach said he does not believe in data, and championed the old-school methodology of relying on gut feel.
