People Criticising BCCI For 'Dropping' Sanju Samson vs Zimbabwe Told To Do 'Homework'
The Indian T20I squad announced for the Zimbabwe tour later this month had one notable omission - Sanju Samson
- Sanju Samson was omitted from India's T20I squad for the Zimbabwe tour in July 2024
- Prabhsimran Singh replaced Samson in the squad after a strong IPL 2026 performance
- "People who are saying he has been dropped should know Sanju is in the Asian Games squad in September": Source
The Indian T20I squad announced for the Zimbabwe tour later this month had one notable omission - Sanju Samson. While all the top batters playing in the ongoing India vs England T20I series have been picked, Samson's missing name from the squad list raised speculation. While the BCCI did not specify the reason for Samson's omission, he was among six players currently in England who failed to make the cut. Samson's place in the squad was given to wicketkeeper-batter Prabhsimran Singh, who had an impressive run for Punjab Kings in IPL 2026. The right-hander was also part of the Indian team for the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Samson was replaced by teen sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the playing XI for the second T20I against England in Manchester in the ongoing five-match series. It made the left-hander the youngest-ever international cricketer for India, surpassing the legendary Sachin Tendulkar.
Samson did not help his cause either, as the Kerala batter endured three successive failures -- twice against Ireland and once in the opening T20I against England at Durham, leading to his ouster.
The right-hander was named the Player of the T20 World Cup 2026 for his efforts in the business end of the tournament. The 31-year-old also had a reasonable run in the IPL, registering two hundreds. But the rise of Sooryavanshi and the need to give the 15-year-old a longer run might have prompted the selectors to overlook Samson for the squad to be led by Shreyas Iyer.
"Why is this surprising that Sanju has been rested for Zimbabwe? People who are saying this should know Sanju is in the Asian Games squad in September. So those who are criticising the selection committee can do a bit of homework. What's the point of carrying Samson when he won't play? He is a senior guy," a senior source told PTI.
Apart from Samson, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Washington Sundar and Ravi Bishnoi were also left out.
Among them, Harshit, Prasidh and Washington are part of the India ODI squad for the upcoming England series, leading to their absence from the tour of the African nation.
Lower-order batter Rinku Singh and express fast bowler Mayank Yadav made comebacks to the T20I squad.
India will tour Zimbabwe for three T20Is on July 23, 25 and 27, and the matches will be played in Harare.
India's squad: Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma (Vice-Captain), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Suryansh Shedge, Rinku Singh, Harsh Dubey, Varun Chakravarthy, Prince Yadav, Yash Thakur, Ashok Sharma, Mayank Yadav, Prabhsimran Singh (WK).
with PTI inputs
India Cricket Team
Zimbabwe Cricket Team
Sanju Samson