Gautam Gambhir Says Sanju Samson Must Earn His Place: Cricket Fans Respond, ‘What About You?’ | India vs England | Today’s news
In March, Sanju Samson was named player of the tournament for the T20 World Cup 2026. In July, he did not find his place in the lineup for the 2nd and 3rd T20 matches against England.
Moreover, the wicketkeeper-batsman was dropped from the 15-man Indian squad for the upcoming 3-match T20I series against Zimbabwe. The series will begin on July 23.
Prabhsimran Singh replaced Sanju Samson as goalkeeper. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who replaced Sanja as opener with Abhishek Sharma in the England series, remains in the squad.
Read also | ‘Agarkar, Gambhir should step down’: Indian cricket fans furious | IND vs. ENG
Head coach Gautam Gambhir spoke about Sanju Samson during a press conference. He emphasized that form will be the final selection criterion.
“We are absolutely clear that what Sanju did for India during the World Cup was recorded. But sometimes you also have to look at the current form of the player. There is no hard and fast rule that someone has to automatically play in every series,” Gambhir said.
“More importantly, international cricket is about getting results. Whatever combination gives us the best chance of winning, we will go with this playing XI. I have always believed that everyone has to earn their place,” he added.
Reaction on social networks
However, Gautam Gambhir’s arguments did not go down well with Indian cricket fans.
“What did Harshit Rana do to deserve that place Mr. Gambhir?” one of them asked.
“Everyone has to earn their place. But what about you, GG? Do you think you should be kicked out? Sure, you haven’t performed yet!” wrote another fan.
“Yes, 100% right! We are confident of getting a place. Yes, thank you for your contribution (team with Virat and Rohit) to win the cup. The team with Surya and Bumrah will win again. And if you are not serving now, you should deserve that place, so kick yourself,” chimed in another fan.
Read also | IND vs ENG 1st T20I: Gambhir, Iyer face backlash after Sooryavanshi retreats
One Team India fan wrote: “Confidence, mental space, strategy and captaincy of the whole team seems confused. Team selection and even combinations were terrible. So many left-handers and 3 spinners, bits and pieces of all-rounders. The team is indistinguishable from the one that won the cup. It looks like a reactive selection team on social media!!”
“Nobody performed well from the start. But only Sanju was on the bench,” commented another fan.
Recent form: Sanju vs Abhishek vs Vaibhav
Sanju Samson was included in the 1st T20 against England. He scored a 7-ball 1 in that match. Even earlier, in the Irish series, India were whitewashed 0-2. Sanju Samson scored 5 and 0 in 2 innings.
It was Sanju’s first time playing for India since helping the team win the T20 World Cup 2026. He scored 97*, 89 and 89 in the last 3 matches of the tournament.
In comparison, Abhishek Sharma’s form has been better. He scored 49, 0, 59, 43 and 10 in the last 5 matches.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was not included in the final XI against Ireland. And that became a massive talking point on social media. Even cricket experts like Sunil Gavaskar advised Team India to play the teenager.
Sooryavanshi finally made his debut for India against England in the 2nd T20 match. Substitute Sanju Samson scored 14 and 13 points in 2 games.
