Team India wicket-keeper batter Sanju Samson's long record of inconsistency might cost him despite his recent World Cup heroics, as he is unlikely to be in the scheme of things moving forward. The experienced batter was recently dropped by the selectors from the playing XI, and the squad for the T20I series in Zimbabwe after yet another poor run of scores.
Sanju Samson has scored only six runs in three matches in the tour of Ireland and England so far, leading to the team management replacing him with Vaibhav Suryavanshi in the playing XI. While there is still confusion and lack of clarity regarding the wicket-keeper's omission, with a thin line between being dropped and rested, his future remains highly uncertain.
As things stand, Sanju Samson is part of the Shreyas Iyer-led squad for the Asian Games 2026 to be held in September-October, but according to a report by the Times of India, Team India are considering making some alterations to the squad.
A huge factor behind Sanju Samson's axing has also been the interminable wait an in-form and in-demand Vaibhav Suryavanshi had to go through in Ireland and England.
Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir was spotted having an animated chat with Sanju Samson ahead of the second T20I right after Vaibhav Suryavanshi was awarded his cap. The debutant scored 14 runs in his first-ever outing, and is likely to be given a decent run after his entry into the main squad.
Indian cricket squad for Asian Games 2026: Shreyas Iyer, Tilak Varma, Ravi Bishnoi, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah, Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Ishan Kishan, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Shivam Dube, Varun Chakravarthy, Vaibhav Suryavanshi.
Sanju Samson had been dropped from the playing XI at the start of the year when he failed to make a mark in the home T20I series against New Zealand. However, he made it back into the side after the left-handed top-order struggled in the initial phase of the T20 World Cup 2026.
Sanju Samson left an indelible mark with three consecutive fifties at the decisive stage of the tournament. However, that was followed by yet another inconsistent IPL campaign, which was riddled with all-or-nothing scores. His recent failures in Ireland and England could prove to be the final straw for the selectors, with several players waiting on the sidelines.
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