A fresh twist has emerged in the ongoing Sanju Samson–Vaibhav Sooryavanshi selection debate within India’s T20I setup. A new report has claimed that Samson may have volunteered to step aside from the playing XI for the Manchester T20I against England to allow 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to make his historic international debut.
According to Cricbuzz, this is one of the theories doing the rounds among those familiar with the events behind the scenes at Old Trafford. Samson, who had managed only six runs across three innings on the tour, sat out the match as Sooryavanshi became the youngest player to represent India in T20Is.
The teenage sensation scored a brisk 14 off 10 balls, showcasing flashes of his immense talent with two towering sixes. He is now expected to retain his place for the remainder of the five-match series in England.
The report further suggested that Samson’s willingness to make way reflected his confidence in the team management’s faith in him and his long-term role in India’s plans leading up to the 2028 T20 World Cup.
If true, the development contradicts the growing perception that head coach Gautam Gambhir and the team management have lost trust in Samson due to his inconsistent returns. Several former cricketers had criticised the decision to leave him out after just three low scores.
Former India cricketer S. Ramesh questioned the move, saying:
“Gautam Gambhir played a match-winning innings in the 2011 ODI World Cup final and continued to get 33 matches after that before being dropped. Yet he still speaks about that phase. The same Gambhir has given Sanju Samson only three matches. This creates insecurity within the dressing room, with every player feeling that one poor series could cost them their place.”
Ramesh also warned that such decisions could create a sense of uncertainty within the squad, with players constantly worrying about losing their spots after a handful of failures.
Adding to the uncertainty, Samson has also been left out of India’s squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe. However, the selectors have officially described the omission as a rest, allowing them to test youngsters Prabhsimran Singh and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi ahead of future assignments.
