Ravichandran Ashwin praises Gautam Gambhir for honesty amid controversy over Sanju Samson's India T20I exclusion
Ravichandran Ashwin has commended India head coach Gautam Gambhir for openly acknowledging the difficulty of excluding Sanju Samson from the T20I squad during England's 2026 tour, a decision Gambhir called the toughest of his coaching career. Samson had a strong return against Afghanistan, scoring two consecutive fifties and accumulating 117 runs at a strike rate of 180, retaining his spot for the West Indies series. Ashwin disagreed with dropping Samson, cautioning that such decisions can damage a player's confidence and emphasizing the importance of trust between management and players beyond recent form. Additionally, Ashwin criticized the flat pitches used in the India-Afghanistan series in Delhi, noting they favored India and disadvantage visiting teams, arguing that home grounds should prepare pitches that offer more competitive balance.