"Handling Of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi And Sanju Samson Far From Professional": Ex-India Star
In the recent T20I series against England, the shuffle in the opening combination of India became a talking point.
- Indian team changed opening pair frequently in recent T20I series against England
- "Never seen a more confused Indian cricket team management," wrote Mohammad Kaif on X
- "The handling of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Sanju Samson has been far from professional," he added
The Indian cricket team management has been doing a lot of chopping and changing in the Playing XI. In the recent T20I series against England, the shuffle in the opening combination became a talking point. Sanju Samson was dropped after the first T20I against England, and his position was given to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The 15-year-old wonderkid failed to make a noticeable impact, with scores of 14, 13 and 15 in three matches. As a result, he was dropped for the fifth and final T20I against England, with Samson once again taking the spot alongside Abhishek Sharma at the top of the order.
"Never seen a more confused Indian cricket team management. The handling of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Sanju Samson has been far from professional. One is a generational talent, another World Cup winner - they need to be given confidence not doubts in their minds," wrote Mohammad Kaif on X.
Never seen a more confused Indian cricket team management. The handling of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Sanju Samson has been far from professional. One is a generational talent, another World Cup winner - they need to be given confidence not doubts in their minds.
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) July 12, 2026
India failed to adapt to English conditions and were outplayed in all departments by England and Ireland, new skipper Shreyas Iyer said, adding that the experience would only make him a better leader.
Iyer endured a disastrous start to his captaincy after taking over from Suryakumar Yadav following India's T20 World Cup triumph, as the team suffered a 0-2 defeat to Ireland before losing the T20I series 0-4 to England after the opening game was washed out.
"It's not hard, honestly," said Iyer when asked how he dealt with the expectations during the post-match press conference.
"I feel it's a privilege for me to take over the captaincy. Every individual dreams of captaining the Indian team and taking over from someone who achieved so much. Definitely, I love pressure.
"So, for me to thrive under pressure, to learn from these moments is definitely going to make me better going forward. And that's my mindset right now. Not thinking much about how people are going to think about this particular series because good and bad are part and parcel of this game."
(With PTI Inputs)
India Cricket Team
England Cricket Team
Sanju Samson