He can win you the game-Gautam Gambhir makes honest admission on Sanju Samson's T20 WC performance

Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir has revealed that Sanju Samson's incorporation into the team was never to neutralize the off-spinner from the other end but was rather an effort to add more firepower to the top order.

With Sanju Samson's incorporation within the Indian team against Zimbabwe, everyone thought it was a forced change after the humiliating loss for India, and their left-handed batters struggling against off-spinners. However, Gambhir reveals that the scenario was totally different.

It was about adding more firepower to the top-order- Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir, the title-winning head coach, has now clarified that his strategy behind bringing in Sanju Samson into the side was not based on neutralizing the off-spin from one end, since it had started troubling the left-handed openers, but rather to add more firepower to India's top order.

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Gautam Gambhir said, "The reason to get in Sanju was not about managing the off-spinner from the other end. It was about whether we can get even more firepower at the top and whether we can be more aggressive in the first six overs.

"There was never any doubt about his talent; there was never any doubt about his explosiveness. If he gets going, then he can win you the game within the first 6 overs. Imagine having Abhishek, Sanju and Ishan as your top three, and then you have got the likes of Surya, Hardik, Shivam and Axar," said Gambhir.

"A lot of people will debate that we wanted to break that three left-handers at the top. I still believe that a good batter will be good against any kind of bowler, be it an off-spinner or a left-arm spinner."

"So for me, I think it was Sanju's explosiveness and his experience and, more importantly, what he brings to the table, that got him the opportunity," the head coach cited Samson's importance.

Let it come- Gambhir reveals Sanju's confident approach

Gautam Gambhir also revealed he had simply mentioned to the opener that he would be opening in the next game for India alongside Abhishek Sharma, and the batter, who was deprived of sheer form, showed some remarkable confidence.

"I conveyed it to him in the gym. We were both training together, and I told him you would be playing tomorrow. He then said, "Let it come," Gautam Gambhir recalled.

Sanju came into the side and went on to score three back-to-back high-scoring half-centuries and won three matches for India, all three being knockout games for the defending champions. He was picked as the Player of the Tournament in his World Cup debut.

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It's not like a head coach and player relationship- Gambhir boasts about his liberal leadership

The Indian coach went on to credit their chemistry within the dressing room and shed light on his relationship with his players. He revealed that the relationship he shares with his players is not that of a head coach but rather of a liberal leader.

"That's the casual conversations we have. It is not like a head coach or a player's relationship. Most of our meetings happen during practice sessions; our meetings go on for 10 minutes or a maximum of 15 minutes. We keep it casual and informal, and let the boys go out there and express themselves," mentioned Gambhir.

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