India’s Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson (ANI Photo)

Hanuma Vihari has questioned Team India’s decision to continue backing Abhishek Sharma despite his poor run of form in the ongoing T20I series against Zimbabwe. The former India batter believes the selectors have applied different standards to Abhishek and Sanju Samson, especially after Samson lost his place despite performing well in major tournaments.Speaking on his YouTube channel, Vihari pointed out that Samson was dropped after a few poor games before the T20 World Cup but returned strongly to become one of India’s standout performers. He said, “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?”He also highlighted Abhishek’s recent numbers, saying, “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.”Vihari argued that Samson proved himself when it mattered by scoring three consecutive fifties during India’s T20 World Cup-winning campaign, but still lost his place in the side as youngster Vaibhav Sooryavanshi emerged as a preferred option.Questioning the selection policy, he said, “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.”

Vihari concluded by adding, “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?”