Vaibhav benched again. Gambhir says his job is not to make everyone happy

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was left out again as India named their playing XI for the fifth T20I against New Zealand. Gautam Gambhir defended his selection calls, insisting that his responsibility was to make the right decisions rather than popular ones.Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was benched again in the 5th T20I. (Courtesy: PTI)New Delhi,Nov 1, 2026 12:53 ISTIndia once again left out Vaibhav Sooryavanshi from their playing XI for the fifth and final T20I against New Zealand, despite the series being a dead rubber with the hosts already holding an unassailable 3-1 lead. The 14-year-old batter, who featured in only two matches during the series, was overlooked again as India opted to stick with their established batting combination.India made two changes to their playing XI for the final T20I, both in the bowling department, but did not hand Sooryavanshi another opportunity. Head coach Gautam Gambhir, speaking ahead of the match, defended his selection calls and said his responsibility was to make the right decisions rather than popular ones."First of all, my job is not to make everyone happy. My job is to take the right decisions, not the popular decisions. And that is what I'm there for," Gambhir told the broadcaster ahead of the match.The India head coach also pointed to the influence of social media and the noise surrounding selection decisions, stressing that the team's priorities had to come before outside opinion. "It is very easy to take the popular decision. But for me, I think the important thing is to take the right decision and make sure that there is a lot of security inside the dressing room," he added.Gambhir acknowledged the abundance of talent in the Indian set-up but said players who had performed consistently over a longer period deserved a longer run in the side. "Because, as you just mentioned, there's a lot of talent. But again, I think guys have done phenomenally well over a longer period of time. Obviously, deserve a longer rope. And that is exactly how we approach the series," he said.INDIA PLAYING XI FOR 5TH T20ISanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy.SOORYAVANSHI'S 2 CHANCES THIS SERIESSooryavanshi entered the series as a potential option at the top of the order but got his opportunities only after Ishan Kishan was sidelined by a groin injury. The teenager played two matches, with his first outing ending in a single-digit score.He responded in the third T20I with an explosive 45, sharing the crease with Abhishek Sharma during India's world-record powerplay partnership. However, with Kishan back in the playing XI, Sooryavanshi was left out of the subsequent matches.India retained a full-strength batting line-up for the series finale, with Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma opening, followed by Kishan, captain Shreyas Iyer and Tilak Varma. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Naman Dhir completed the batting options, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy formed the bowling attack.With the series already decided, Sooryavanshi's omission once again raised questions over how India intend to manage opportunities for emerging players in a side packed with established international performers. Gambhir, however, made it clear that selection would continue to be guided by what he considers the team's best interests rather than the expectations surrounding individual players.- Ends