Indian batter Hanuma Vihari questioned the selectors and team management for giving a long rope to Abhishek Sharma despite poor form and treating Sanju Samson differently. Samson was dropped amid the T20I series against England after he returned with scores of 1, 0, and 5. He was then picked in the final T20I against England but managed only 27 runs. 

Samson was the Player of the tournament in the T20 World Cup after he scored 321 runs in five matches at a strike rate of almost 200. But, he was not picked for the Zimbabwe tour.

On the other hand, Vihari highlighted that team has been backing Abhishek Sharma despite a string of low scores. Sharma could only manage 11 runs in three games against Zimbabwe.

“Before the World Cup, Sanju Samson did not perform in five games and lost his spot in the starting 11. He then made a comeback and became Player of the Tournament. In that same tournament, how many runs did Abhishek Sharma make? In the UK series, apart from one fifty, there were no scores at all. Not even 20s and 30s, no significant score. One fifty in the last eight matches. If you include the World Cup, three half-centuries in the last 18 matches,” Hanuma Vihari said in a video on his YouTube channel.

Vihari questioned why players are treated differently when they have the same calibre under their belt.

“How many matches Samson played in the World Cup? Three. And fifties in all three. Abhishek’s highest score in the five matches is 16. Why is no one talking about it? When it comes to Samson, they say he is inconsistent. Fair enough. But he can win high-pressure matches on his day. Abhishek is a player with a lot of hype, but Samson is also equal. He has also performed in the IPL. Why different rules for different players?”

Meanwhile, India registered a 3-0 series win against Zimbabwe after winning the final T20I by 35 runs at Harare on Sunday.