"Sanju Samson Would Be Thinking, 'Why Is Everyone Pointing Gun At Me?'" Ex-India Star
While Sanju Samson fared well in IPL 2026 after an incredible T20 World Cup, he failed to replicate his performance in the two-match T20I series against Ireland, as well as the first game vs England.
- Saba Karim has backed Sanju Samson despite the player's lean patch in T20Is
- He said India would not drop the opener. "Sanju Samson is a fabulous player. He has been a match-winner"
- What are we looking at? Sanju Samson would be thinking, 'Why is everyone pointing the gun at me?'"
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continued to wait on the sidelines as India began their five-match T20I series against England on Wednesday. The southpaw was brought into the team after a terrific Indian Premier League 2026 season, but he has not been included in the playing XI yet. The biggest roadblock to Sooryavanshi's senior India debut is his batting position. The 15-year-old wonderkid opens the batting, but India have their top two slots packed with Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson. Both India openers have proved their mettle at the highest level already, with Samson playing a pivotal role in India's T20 World Cup title victory earlier this year.
While Samson fared well in IPL 2026 after the T20 World Cup, he failed to replicate his performance in the two-match T20I series against Ireland. The wicketkeeper-batter scored 5 and 0 against the Irish side. He added to his troubles by scoring just one run in the first match against England on Wednesday.
Former India wicketkeeper-batter Saba Karim backed the player despite his lean patch. When asked on Star Sports if the team management would consider dropping Samson for Sooryavanshi, he said, "I don't think so at this stage. Sanju Samson is a fabulous player. He has been a match-winner. He had a very good IPL season. Before that, he was the Player of the Tournament in the T20 World Cup. What are we looking at? Sanju Samson would be thinking, 'Why is everyone pointing the gun at me?'"
Saba also backed the team management's decision to make Sooryavanshi wait for his international debut. It is worth noting that the southpaw emerged as the top-scorer in IPL 2026 with 776 runs to his name from 16 games. He followed it up with an impressive show for India A that included a 29-ball 94 in the Tri-Nation A series final against Sri Lanka A.
"Even for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, this is a good learning curve. He also gets to understand that to get into this Indian team XI, you have to earn your call-up. This environment will help him to grow as a player and as a human being. Although he has got such an incredible amount of talent, when you get into such a competitive environment, you need to bide your time," Saba said.
India Cricket Team
England Cricket Team
Sanju Samson