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Mohammad Kaif slams Gautam Gambhir for dropping Sanju Samson: India vs England 5-match T20I series is already underway, as the England National Cricket Team have taken a lead against Shreyas Iyer’s side by winning the 2nd T20I. The first T20I match was washed out, and the Three Lions came back stronger in the second game, winning it by four wickets, thanks to a brilliant 76* run knock from Jacob Bethell.
In the second T20I, Sanju Samson was dropped from the side after a string of low scores in recent innings, marking the debut of the 15-year-old boy wonder Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who scored 14 off 10 deliveries in his first game for the India National Cricket Team. However, many people have discussed the exclusion of Sanju Samson.
Mohammad Kaif questions India's planning with Sanju Samson
Sanju was the Player of the Tournament in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. He completely changed the dynamics of the team during the major tournament, as he finished as the leading run-getter for the side with 321 runs, scoring back-to-back match-winning knocks for the Men in Blue against West Indies, England and New Zealand, where he scored 89, 97 and 89, respectively.
Yet again, Sanju has been dropped for his poor performances in Ireland and the first game against England. Ahead of the 3rd T20I, which is scheduled on Tuesday, former India batter Mohammad Kaif has opened up about the same mistake India and Gautam Gambhir are making, which they did in the initial phases of the T20 World Cup.
"Indian team is repeating the same mistake"- Mohammad Kaif on India not playing Sanju Samson
Mohammad Kaif stated that India is repeating the same mistake, as they opened with Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma in the tournament and realized that the opponents had found out their weakness, as opponents brought in off-spinners. Abhishek Sharma failed to open his account in the first three matches. Mohammed Shami believes Gautam Gambhir is blocking his India return.
"I think the Indian team is repeating the same mistake they made during the World Cup. Back then, Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma were opening the batting. The opposition realized they could exploit them with an off-spinner, so they brought one in."
Abhishek-Vaibhav is not a good option for long term planning by @MohammadKaif pic.twitter.com/XzZ4yfdYJA
— Ravish Bisht (@ravishbofficial) July 6, 2026
"Abhishek Sharma was dismissed for ducks three times, and Ishan Kishan also struggled. Even during that World Cup, we kept saying that two left-handers at the top weren't enough—you needed a right-hander in the middle. Sanju Samson barely got opportunities."
"That's exactly what happened"- Mohammad Kaif slams Gautam Gambhir's poor decision-making
They had to bring in a right-hander in the middle order after the hefty loss against South Africa. Sanju Samson started opening with Abhishek, which turned effective for the side. Kaif also pointed out that a team with proper planning and vision does not wait for something bad to happen to make changes.
"He [Sanju] wasn't included until India suffered a heavy defeat to South Africa. The same thing has happened now. After losing to Ireland, changes were made—Washington Sundar was dropped, Prasidh Krishna was dropped. That's exactly what happened back then too."
"My point is that a team with a clear vision and long-term planning doesn't wait until it loses badly before making changes. If you wait until after a defeat, then making changes becomes inevitable. A forward-thinking team should act before reaching that stage."
