“What Are They Doing?”: Hanuma Vihari Takes A Dig At Gambhir’s ‘Favouritism’ Treatment After India’s 4-0 Drubbing

India's abrupt surrender in the T20I series in Ireland and England has extended the poor run of form for the T20I World Champions to six games out of the seven games (with one match being washed out). In the aftermath of the series, various voices have been echoing in the Indian cricket community about head coach Gautam Gambhir and the team management's 'favouritism' in selection policies.

One of those voices has been that of the out-of-favour Indian batter Hanuma Vihari, who has led the social media revolt against GG and co following the 4-0 drubbing at the hands of England. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Vihari did not hold back as he slammed Gambhir for favouring a few players while selecting his team.

"Gautam Gambhir has certain favourite players, and he wants to take them and play them. I don't see any value in these players added to the side," Vihari remarked.

"I don't understand what some players are doing in the team. Dube does not bowl, cannot field, and has not shown that form in batting either. Shedge was also not impressive in bowling or batting. I have no idea why Washington Sundar is still continuing in the team. If you look at his contributions over the years, it has not been that great," he added.

Is Constant Tinkering With the Playing XI Giving Team India Cold Feet?

Vihari also questioned the team's constant chopping and changing of the playing XI throughout the series, arguing that the management failed to provide a sense of security to both Sanju Samson and teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Samson featured in four matches but was dropped midway through the series to accommodate Sooryavanshi, who played three games before being left out again in favour of the Kerala wicketkeeper.

"Spinners were the problem, whether Varun Chakaravarthy or Axar Patel. Why was Ravi Bishnoi taken on this tour? The problem is in the squad selection and the playing XI selection. You gave Samson opportunities in Ireland and then played Suryavanshi. You dropped him also after three games. There is no security anywhere in the team. If you do not perform, you will be kicked out. You should give it a long run. If you were fixed on playing Suryavanshi, at least give him five or six games and then decide whether he is good enough or not. I don't think this is the right attitude. Security is important for players," Vihari added.