Sanju Samson dropped are you kidding me? Manjrekar stirs the pot after the T20I recedes

Sanju Samson’s omission from India’s playing XI for the second T20 International against England at Old Trafford has fueled a fierce selection debate. Samson, who was crowned Player of the Tournament during India’s triumphant T20 World Cup 2026 campaign earlier this year, was dropped in Manchester after a short lean spell of three single-figure scores on the tour of Ireland and England.

His dismissal opened the door to a historic debut as a 15-year-old batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi became India’s youngest ever international cricketer. While the inclusion of the teenager was widely celebrated, the decision to drop the established wicketkeeper and batsman left former Indian cricketer commentator Sanjay Manjrekar completely stunned.

Taking to social media to vent his frustration, Manjrekar questioned the team management’s tactical logic and initially hoped that the real reason behind the dynamic batsman’s sudden absence was an underlying physical ailment.

“Great to see Vaibhav in India colors,” Manjrekar wrote on X. “But what about Samson! He fell? Are you kidding me! No, I think injured. Let’s hope it’s an injury. Or the most bizarre selection. If you wanted to get Vaibhav, you could have easily hit 3.” Screengrab by X

Manjrekar’s confusion reflected a wider sentiment among pundits who felt Samson deserved a longer rope, especially given his recent World Cup heroics. Instead of replacing an informal asset, critics argued that the team hierarchy could have easily placed Sooryavanshi at the top of the order while moving Samson to third to retain middle-order experience.

As the match continued, Indian defeat by four wickets just increased control over the tactical composition of the team.

RAJAT PATIDAR FOR T20Is?

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan weighed in, focusing on how the team failed to capitalize on a great start to cross the 200-run mark, eventually posting 190 for 7. Pathan also highlighted the clinical finishing of England’s Jacob Bethell, who smashed an unbeaten 76 to anchor the chase with an over to spare.

Beyond the immediate result at Old Trafford, Pathan pinpointed the structural imbalances that are beginning to plague the national side. With the inclusion of Sooryavanshi alongside the likes of Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma, India’s top six has become heavily overloaded with left-handed bodies.

The team management had earlier fixed a similar issue in the middle of the T20 World Cup, recall Sanju Samson to disrupt the top three which featured consecutive lefties.

According to the former all-rounder, this tactical uniformity plays directly into the hands of opposition bowling attacks. He urged selectors to look at Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar, who recently enjoyed a stellar season in the Indian Premier League, amassing 501 runs at an explosive strike rate of 192.69.

“Looking at the number of left-handed batsmen in the Indian T20 team right now, it’s all the more reason for Team India to look at Rajat Patidar in the future,” explained Pathan. “I really hope he gets an opportunity, especially as Team India still has a lot of time to experiment before the next T20 World Cup.”

With England leading the five-match series 1-0, the pressure is mounting on captain Shreyas Iyer and the team management. As the series moves to Trent Bridge, the selectors face the tough task of balancing the desire to blood young talent like Sooryavanshi with the need to protect proven performers like Samson.

– The end

Issued by:

Akshay Ramesh

Published on:

05 Jul 2026 15:35 IST