‘Why is it always Sanju Samson who misses out?’ Ex-India cricketer calls out management over England T20I disaster

Wading into the debate surrounding Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's inclusion in the Indian T20 team at the expense of Sanju Samson, former India cricketer Parthiv Patel stated accommodating the prodigal teenager can only be called an emotionally right call as axing the senior batter defies logic.

Speaking on JioStar, Patel also acknowledged that in the past, Samson was dropped for his own inconsistency but right now, his omission is not easy to explain. "Why is it always Sanju Samson who misses out? If you look at Sanju Samson's career over the last 11-12 years, the one question that has always followed him is consistency," Patel said.

"Either the player who isn't scoring quickly enough gets left out, or the one who has been inconsistent. You can't make decisions based on both emotion and logic. So 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," he added. The 15-year-old Sooryavanshi was picked after Samson, who was player of the tournament in the T20 World Cup this year, failed to score in three consecutive games.

However, the prodigal batter has not been able to make much of an impact so far. India have conceded the series 0-3 to England with the fifth and final match scheduled for Saturday. Patel said there is always a perception that the player left out is the better option.

"This is just how we are. Whenever someone isn't in the team, we automatically feel they're the one who would have done a better job. At the last T20 World Cup, Shreyas Iyer wasn't there, and everyone kept asking, 'Why isn't Shreyas Iyer in the team?'

"Now that he's back, people are saying Rajat Patidar should be in the side," he added. India will play the fifth and final t20I against England on Saturday. Post that India will travel to Zimbabwe for three T20Is.

India won't find a quality all-rounder until…

Patel also believed that IPL's Impact Player rule has hindered the development of quality all-rounders in Indian cricket, contributing to the continued search for a long-term replacement for Hardik Pandya.

"For the past 10 years, we've been saying the same thing, everything will be fine when Jasprit Bumrah comes back. Everything will be alright when Hardik Pandya returns. But it's been 10 years, and we still haven't found a replacement for either Hardik Pandya or Jasprit Bumrah," he said.

"The biggest reason behind that is the IPL's Impact Player rule. Bumrah is a different case, but India will not be able to find the all-rounder they are looking for until the Impact Player rule is removed from the IPL."

Patel also raised questions over the Indian batting unit's planning for the England tour. "The biggest change we made to our T20 cricket in 2022 was our intent. We weren't playing with the same intent as the rest of the world. Skill has never been an issue with these players," he said.

"Ishan Kishan plays the short ball very well. Whenever Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was bowled short in the IPL, he went after it, and Abhishek Sharma can play short balls as well. But the thing is, if the ball isn't there to play the pull shot, then you simply can't play it.

"You're playing across the line, which is poor shot selection. Hence, it all comes down to lack of planning. England have been the better team, both in terms of planning and execution."