Vihari questioned why Abhishek consistently features in the playing XI despite a string of low scores.
Veteran batter Hanuma Vihari has slammed the Indian team management for practicing "double standards," pointing out a stark contrast between the consistent backing given to Abhishek Sharma and the swift sidelining of Sanju Samson.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Vihari questioned why Abhishek consistently featured in the playing XI during India's T20I tour of Zimbabwe despite a string of low scores.
Vihari highlighted that while Samson was dropped from the starting lineup ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026 after a few failures, the wicketkeeper-batter showed immense resilience to bounce back and hit three consecutive half-centuries during the tournament.
Despite this, Samson was snubbed from the T20I XI during England tour and completely omitted for the Zimbabwe series, while Abhishek has kept his position after hitting only one fifty in the last eight innings.
"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?" Vihari said.
He added, "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 highlighted that Samson hit three consecutive half-centuries in three matches during India's T20 World Cup title-winning run, yet faced omission for emerging alternatives like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
He also criticized how Samson is labeled "inconsistent" while underperforming hyped players are shielded from similar scrutiny.
"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 stated.
"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?" he remarked.