World Cup winning wicket-keeper batter Sanju Samson has been omitted from India’s squad for the 3 T20s in Zimbabwe later this month
Updated: July 6, 2026, 7:59 PM IST
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India’s Sanju Samson plays a shot during the first T20I match between India and England at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (Photo: IANS)
Wicket-keeper batsman Sanju Samson has been dropped by the Indian selection committee India’s upcoming tour of Zimbabwe later this month. Samson has been dealing with a poor run of form in the on-going 5-match T20I series in England where the Men in Blue are trailing by 1-0 after losing the 2n T20I last Saturday.
Just a few months ago, Sanju Samson was the catalyst for India’s success at the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 where he was also adjudged as the Player of the tournament. Samson was integrated to the side late into the tournament but he came in handy during the knockout stages of the tournament, scoring 97* against the West Indies and 89 in the semi-final and final against England and New Zealand respectively.
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However, ever since the tournament came to an end, Sanju Samson has not been the same. He had an underwhelming outing in the 2026 Indian Premier League season 477 runs in 14 matches with a best of 115*. He dealt with plenty of inconsistency and that reflected in India’s on-going tour of Europe as well.
The 31-year-old had a combined score of just 5 runs across the two T20Is in Ireland. In the series opener against England, Samson was out for just 1 run. That prompted his removal from the playing XI and with the presence of teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Samson was ultimately dropped for the 2nd T20I which India lost by 4 wickets.
On his debut, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored just 14 off 10 but for the upcoming 3-match T20I series in Zimbabwe, he has been given a spot instead of Sanju Samson. Sooryavanshi is most likely to pair with the explosive Abhishek Sharma.
Elsewhere, the selection committee has welcomed back Rinku Singh for the first time since the ICC T20 World Cup earlier this year. Promising young bowlers Prince Yadav, Yash Thakur, Ashok Sharma and Harsh Dubey have also been included in the squad.
Prabhsimran Singh appears to be a direct replacement for Sanju Samson as the former is known for his aggressive batting style, which has been on display in the IPL over the last two seasons for the Punjab Kings.
India’s tour of Zimbabwe: Squads and schedule
Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma (Vice-Captain), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Suryansh Shedge, Rinku Singh, Harsh Dubey, Varun Chakaravarathy, Prince Yadav, Yash Thakur, Ashok Sharma, Mayank Yadav, Prabhsimran Singh (WK)
1st T20I: Thursday, 23 July
2nd T20I: Saturday, 25 July
3rd T20I: Sunday, 26 July
