Samson was the Player of the Tournament when India won the 2026 T20 World Cup, but he was later dropped during the UK tour after three low scores
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Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (Photo: X)
Sanju Samson’s return to India’s playing XI raised eyebrows after he was picked ahead of 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for the first of a three-match T20I series against Afghanistan in New DelhiThe decision became even more difficult to defend after Samson managed just 10 runs in India’s comfortable eight-wicket win.
Samson opened alongside Abhishek Sharma after captain Shreyas Iyer and head coach Gautam Gambhir decided to go with the experienced batterSooryavanshi, who had impressed in India’s previous T20I assignment against Zimbabwe, was left on the bench.
The youngster was named Player of the Series in Zimbabwe after scoring 151 runs in three matchesHe made scores of 50, 20 and 81, with the final innings coming in a successful chaseDespite that performance, he was not given an opportunity in India’s first T20I on home soil.
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The decision led former India batter Mohammad Kaif to question the thinking behind Samson’s selectionKaif pointed out that Samson had not played the Zimbabwe series and asked what had changed during that period to put him ahead of Sooryavanshi.
“What did Sanju do in between to get a chance today? Usually, when you are dropped, you play here and there and regain some form; nothing like that has happened,” Kaif said on Cricbuzz.
He also questioned why India did not continue with the opening combination that had worked in Zimbabwe.
“Why did he get a chance? That’s a massive questionWhy did you not go with the same combination after Vaibhav scored runs in Zimbabwe? That’s another question,” Kaif added.
Kaif felt the management was still unsure about its preferred opening combinationHe said Sooryavanshi could be wondering what he had done wrong after being dropped despite performing well in the previous series.
“In my opinion, they are hesitating a bit; they are unsure of what their best opening combination isThe Indian team are still thinking about itVaibhav must be saying What did I do wrong?” he said.
Samson’s dismissal only added to the debateHe faced eight balls and scored 10 before being caught at deep square leg while attempting a pull against Azmatullah OmarzaiFormer India batter Sanjay Manjrekar was also critical of Samson’s consistency.
“Sanju Samson doesn’t help his own cause; he’s pretty inconsistent,” Manjrekar said during commentary.
Samson was the Player of the Tournament when India won the 2026 T20 World Cup, but he was later dropped during the UK tour after three low scoresSooryavanshi replaced him and became India’s youngest T20I debutantHowever, the teenager also struggled in his first three matches before Samson returned for the final T20I against England.
