Vihari questions continued backing of Abhishek Sharma, cites Samson debate

Former Indian cricketer Hanuma Vihari has questioned Team India's continued backing of Abhishek Sharma despite his poor run in T20Is. Citing Sanju Samson's match-winning performances in the T20 World Cup, Vihari accused selectors of applying "different rules" and urged them to judge both players by the same standards.

Vihari’s remarks focused on selection consistency after a run of low scores from Abhishek Sharma in the T20 format. He contrasted that situation with Sanju Samson’s recent World Cup contributions and noted that Samson was dropped from the side after a smaller number of failures. The former batter framed his criticism around fairness in selection and called for comparable treatment of players whose recent records differ.

The comments underscore a familiar tension between performance-based selection and backing players through rough patches. Vihari, speaking from his experience as an ex-international, suggested the criteria applied to one player should be equally applied to others in similar positions. He did not specify particular matches or scores, instead keeping the focus on the principle of uniform standards.

By highlighting Samson’s World Cup form alongside Abhishek’s lack of runs, Vihari introduced a direct comparison that questions the selectors’ approach. His observation that Samson faced consequences sooner than Abhishek sits at the heart of his critique. That comparison is likely to rekindle discussion among fans and commentators about what constitutes sufficient justification for dropping or persisting with a player.

The debate Vihari has raised touches on selection transparency and the balance between short-term results and longer-term faith in talent. While he stopped short of proposing concrete changes to the process, his appeal for equal treatment places pressure on decision-makers to articulate and apply consistent standards. The exchange adds another voice to an ongoing conversation about how best to evaluate and support players in T20 internationals.