CHENNAI: Less than 48 hours after Vaibhav Sooryavanshi replaced Sanju Samson in the playing XI during the second T20I against England, the experienced keeper-batter has been left out of the squad for India tour of Zimbabwe where they will play three T20Is from July 23. Taking his place in the Zimbabwe tour is another keeper-opener Prabhsimran Singh.
This comes right after three low scores in Ireland and England — his three previous international knocks earned him the player of the tournament award and India the T20 World cup. Though Samson is still part of the Asian Games squad, where India will play in the T20 format in Japan, leaving the 31-year-old out of the tour indicates that Samson has once again received the short end of the rope. That the squad announcement, which came through a BCCI press release, neither says Samson is dropped or rested, leaves a lot of ambiguity over the exclusion. Resting him also raises a pertinent question. Experts believe that since Sanju plays only one format there was no reason for him to be rested. It remains to be seen if Samson plays in the remaining T20Is in England. Selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar's silence has left more questions than answers. Even more so considering the career graph of Samson since becoming opener in 2024.
The 31-year-old flourished at the top with Abhishek Sharma but was moved down to make space for Shubman Gill before being dropped. Then he was brought back to open before getting dropped again for Ishan Kishan. Once again, Samson was back in the XI when India faced elimination before he single-handedly took them through to the title with three consecutive match-winning innings, including in semifinal and final.
Three recent low-scores led Samson to warm the bench again. The visuals of a displeased Samson listening to an intense Gautam Gambhir before the second T20I only adds to the intrigue. In the past, Samson had revealed in an interview how Gambhir had told him once that he would be dropped only if he scored 21 consecutive ducks. Now, Samson's last six scores read: 97*, 89, 89, 5, 0, 1.
Shortly after he was left out of the playing XI in Manchester, former India cricketer R Ashwin questioned Samson's omission and the ripple effect it could have on the team in his YouTube channel. "What will Sanju think? What will he think while training in the nets? Now there are three left-handers at the top — Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan. Now, Sanju can be looked at as No 3 as well. We all know, the coaching staff, Gautam Gambhir, everyone knows that it is not right by Sanju. It has to be made right. That is not great for the team. If Sanju is now out, Surya is already out.. every player will feel now that they will be next, that their number will come soon. That is not a great thing to have," Ashwin said while speaking on Ash ki Baat.
Not the first time
Even if one were to argue that Samson was rested and it gives a chance to try out youngsters like Prabhsimran, past records do not augur well for Samson. In 2024, Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was part of India's T20 World Cup-winning squad, was rested for the first two T20Is in Zimbabwe as the team was stuck in Barbados. By the time he joined the team, Abhishek had scored a century. Yashasvi played the next six matches where his scores read — 36, 93*, 12, 40, 30, 10 — before losing his spot. Now, he is nowhere in the scheme of things for the shortest format, with players like Sooryavanshi ahead of him in the pecking order.
Whether the same script continues only time will tell. But what can be said now with certainty is that such calls taken by this selection committee could be a double-edge sword. It could put the transition on fast forward mode, but at the same time lead to insecurity among players, particularly in the shortest format where the batters are demanded to play ultra-aggressive brand of cricket. When that happens, it might have a ripple effect on the way players bat and feel in the dressing room. And that is not a healthy way forward for Indian cricket.
