Table of Contents
Constant chopping and changing is putting a negative impression on Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Suryavanshi's confidence, former India captain Kris Srikkanth felt. Amid the T20I series between India and West Indies, the former cricketer took a jab at the Gautam Gambhir-coached Indian cricket team for their consistent experiments and questionable decisions on forming playing elevens.
Since the emergence of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi on the international scene, Sanju Samson's place in the playing XI for the T20I has become uncertain. But now, in the ongoing series against West Indies, the Indian team management has so far shown their trust in Samson, instead of the 15-year-old Sooryavanshi.
Uncertainties over Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Sanju Samson
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made his debut for Team India in the T20Is in England during India's tour of the United Kingdom. He was named as the replacement for Sanju Samson. Samson was dropped after three poor outings, two against Ireland and one against England.
Sooryavanshi was not up to the mark against England, but he was in his usual ultra-aggressive form during a brief T20I series against Zimbabwe. Against Zimbabwe, the young opener scored 50, 20 and 81. As Sanju Samson was rested during the Zimbabwe series, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was the starter, pairing up with Abhishek Sharma.
Samson was again recalled for the next T20I assignments after the Zimbabwe series. Alongside Samson, Sharma, and Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan can also perform as an opener. With too many options for limited spots, the selection for the T20I playing XIs becomes a challenging task for the team management.
Team India preferred Sanju Samson over Vaibhav Sooryavanshi vs West Indies
Meanwhile, amid the constant changes in the playing combinations, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi gradually dropped his form. In the recently played 2026 Asian Games in Japan, where India won the gold, the Rajasthan Royals prodigy was far from his best.
After the conclusion of the Games, he joined the team in India for the T20I series against West Indies. As there were Samson, Sharma, and Kishan as well, the tension over the team selection was there from the beginning of the series. For the first three matches, India trusted Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson as the openers, keeping Sooryavanshi on the bench.
Kris Srikkanth asks Team India to drop Abhishek Sharma
In those three matches, Samson scored 11, 82, and 3. Kris Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel that India could form an opening pair with Samson and Sooryavanshi, as Abhishek Sharma has been playing constantly for the team.
"They have not only spoiled his (Sanju Samson's) confidencece, India have totally spoiled Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's confidence. He could have been given three matches against a team like the West Indies. Now that they've seen Abhishek for so long, he can be rested, and Sooryavanshi and Samson can open in the next match," Srikkanth said in a YouTube video.
"Samson has always been up and down. His consistency has always been questionable. He'll suddenly do wonders like the World Cup and then suddenly fail a lot. Someone like Abhishek Sharma never has such extremes. Now, again, Samson will score in the next match," Srikkanth said.
