Indian wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson is always a case of glorious uncertainty when it comes to his position in the Playing XI in the Indian T20I setup. Just when Sanju Samson starts to have his moments of glory, it fades quickly like a dream in the blink of an eye, and Sanju Samson is used to it. Just before the Ireland -England tour started for Team India, Sanju Samson was basking in the glory of his Player of the Tournament achievement he received in India’s glorious campaign in the 2026 T20I World Cup, where he scored three consecutive half-centuries, leading India’s triumph.
After the World Cup achievement, when India toured England for the white-ball series, A lot was expected from Sanju Samson as he was seemingly the batter in form for the series. However, Sanju Samson, being Sanju Samson failed miserably in 2 T20Is vs Ireland, where India lost the series 0-2, with Samson being dismissed cheaply. This slump in form continued in the 1st T20I match vs England too, where Samson again posted a low score. These continuous strings of low scores from Sanju Samson urged the Indian team management to rest him for the remaining matches.
Sanju Samson comes back to form against Afghanistan
The Indian team had to bear the brunt of leaving out Sanju Samson in the England series as they lost the T20I series to England 4-0 and Sanju’s replacement, Vaibhav Sooryawanshi, merely managed 14,13 and 15 runs in the matches he played. The return call was evident post this performance for Samson, and rightly so, he was called in the opening slot in a 3-match Afghanistan series at Home.
Although Samson was once again dismissed cheaply in the First T20I, this time the management decided to keep the faith in him, as Samson repaid them with stellar back-to-back half-centuries, outfoxing Abhishek Sharma with a 22-ball 57 in the 2nd T20I and playing a solid support Partner, scoring 50 runs to ramp up Abhishek Sharma in the 3rd T20I. India thrashed Afghanistan 3-0 in the series, and coach Gautam Gambhir, during the post-match press conference, admitted his mistake of dropping a batter of the calibre of Sanju Samson in the England series.
It was tough dropping Sanju Samson- Gautam Gambhir
Samson’s return in the Afghanistan tour after being dropped from the England tour was a statement of intent shown as Sanju Samson scored 117 runs in 3 matches with 2 back-to-back half-centuries at a whopping strike rate of 180. The defining feature of Samson’s batting was that he played a perfect foil to Abhishek Sharma stitiching match winning partnerships in the Final 2 T20Is. This performance and return to form by Samson made coach Gautam Gambhir lavish praises on the batter and also forced him to admit that dropping Sanju Samson was a mistake he made in England.
In the post-match press conference, coach Gautam Gambhir admitted that the toughest decision he took in his tenure was dropping Samson after a stellar World Cup performance, citing a few failures. He said :
“First of all, he doesn’t need to give me any credit (for proper communication when he wasn’t playing). His talent itself is enough for him to be in the dressing room. He’s shown what he’s capable of. Someone doesn’t become a player of the tournament in a World Cup without having the talent. So he’s done enough,” Gambhir said in Samson’s praise.
“Obviously, it was tough (dropping Samson). Probably the toughest decision I’ve taken in my coaching tenure was leaving him out in that England series, because obviously, the way he’s performed before that. But again, sometimes you go with players’ form as well,” said the former India batter.
With renewed confidence from his coach and his own batting form, Samson will now take the field in an historic T20I match vs Japan on 22nd September before beginning India’s conquest to a gold medal in the Asian Games.
Also Read: AFG vs IND: Abhishek Sharma’s Fantabulous 3rd T20I Ton Destroys Afghanistan