Gautam Gambhir consoles Sanju Samson in long chat after dropping star from T20I squad

India have decided to rest Sanju Samson for the second T20I against England on Saturday, July 4 in Manchester. After three consecutive poor outings from the opening tournament that won the T20 World Cup, the team management handed over the place to generational talent Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who was called up for the UK tour.

Samson, who played crucial knocks for India during their triumphant T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, was dropped just days after the team management said they wanted to give their opening pair a long rope as they deserved it.

After the decision was made before the second T20I, India head coach Gautam Gambhir was seen having a long conversation with Samson. Gambhir appeared to console the batter and held his hand as the two spoke after the selection.

SAMSON’S STREAM OF BAD SCORE

Samson did not leave the lead of the Indian team with many options. The opener failed to reach a double in each of his last three T20I innings on the UK tour. After scores of 0 and 5 in India’s historic series defeat against Ireland, Samson managed just one run off seven balls in the first T20I against England.

As fans were clamoring more and more for the inclusion of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the management finally made the change. Samson’s omission paved the way for the 15-year-old to make his international debut. Vaibhav scored 14 off 10 balls in his first outing for India.

However, being rested for the second T20I does not necessarily mean the end of the road for Samson. The Indian team management has repeatedly talked about backing the players for an extended period as they build a new T20 side under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer.

INDIA FABULATING IN VAIBHAV’S DEBUT

Sanju Samson’s dismissal didn’t change India’s fortunes much under Shreyas Iyer. India are still looking for their first T20I win under Iyer’s captaincy after suffering yet another defeat.

On Saturday, India posted a competitive 190 in Manchester, but the total proved insufficient. Harry Brook and Jacob Bethell led England’s chase with impressive knocks as the hosts sealed a four-wicket victory with six balls to spare.

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Issued by:

Kingshuk Kusari

Published on:

05 Jul 2026 08:07 IST