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The entire cricket community is shocked by the exclusion of Sanju Samson from the Indian team for the upcoming three-match T20 series against Zimbabwe. After several former cricketers shared their views on the shocking selection decision, veteran Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane has now reacted to the surprising decision and extended his support to Sanju Samson.
Samson played a key role in India’s 2026 ICC T20 World Cup-winning campaign earlier this year, but has now lost the trust of the selectors. After three poor innings in Ireland and England, the wicketkeeper-batsman was dropped from India’s playing eleven during the ongoing T20I series against England. Meanwhile, amid pushback from Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Aakash Chopra questioned Sanju Samson’s omission from the Zimbabwe T20I.
Ajinkya Rahane surprised by Sanju Samson’s exclusion
Ajinkya Rahane admitted that he was surprised by Sanju Samson’s omission from India’s squad for the upcoming three-match T20 series in Zimbabwe. The veteran batsman believes that it is difficult to understand how a player who played such a crucial role in India’s recent T20 World Cup 2026 win was dropped from the T20I squad after a few failures.
The former Test vice-captain also expressed hope that the national selection committee had properly informed Samson about the decision before announcing the squad. Rahane feels the players deserve clarity, especially after contributing significantly to the team’s success.
Ajinkya Rahane wrote on his Instagram story: “Hopefully there has been some communication with @imsanjusamson. It feels strange that the hero of our recent T20 World Cup win has been left out of the Zimbabwe T20 squad. Hopefully he will be back in the squad soon.”
Samson’s recent form worked against him
Although Samson played a key role in India’s T20 World Cup success and finished the tournament as the Player of the Tournament, he failed to continue the momentum. The Kerala batsman struggled during the white-ball tour of Ireland and England, scoring only six runs in three T20Is. Meanwhile, Robin Uthappa expressed concern over the treatment of Sanju Samson by BCCI.
While those poor performances ultimately cost him his place in the playing eleven, teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi got his chance in the second T20I against England in Manchester. For the Zimbabwe tour, the selectors chose Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Prabhsimran Singh as the second wicketkeeper-batsman.
The three-match T20 series between India and Zimbabwe will start from July 23 in Harare. The second match will be played on July 25, followed by the final T20 match on July 26, with all three matches being played in Harare. Shreyas Iyer will lead the Indian team, while Tilak Verma has been made the vice-captain.
Sanju Samson was not dropped but rested!
However, Indian Express reports have revealed that the selectors have rested Samson rather than dropping him. The selection committee wanted to reward Prabhsimran Singh for his stellar IPL 2026 season with Punjab Kings and use the Zimbabwe tour to screen new talent.
Samson’s recent poor performance also went against him. On the other hand, players like Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Washington Sundar and Harshit Rana have also been rested due to the ODI series in England. The selectors are reportedly focusing on creating a larger pool of young players, especially fast bowlers, for future international tournaments.
