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As Sitanshu Kotak mentioned ahead of the 3rd match of the ongoing India vs England 5-match T20 series, the writing on Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s Team India debut was on the wall, which shows the team management’s plans for the future with the 15-year-old batsman.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi joined the playing eleven in the 2026 T20 World Cup as a replacement for player of the tournament Sanju Samson. The selectors also dropped Sanju Samson from the T20 squad for the Zimbabwe series after Vaibhav’s debut.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s debut closed doors for Sanju Samson
Vaibhav’s debut and Sanju’s disdain are revealed with a clear vision. From now on, it is clear that if Vaibhav can perform as per his reputation, Sanju Samson’s phase of comeback for the Men in Blue will be more challenging than ever.
A few weeks ago, when the selectors were looking for Suryakumar Yadav’s successor, Sanju Samson was reportedly among the contenders to become the next T20I captain of the national cricket team.
If media reports are to be believed, head coach Gautam Gambhir was in support of choosing Samson as captain instead of Shreyas Iyer. Ultimately, Shreyas Iyer was appointed captain and Sanju Samson was selected as the only keeper-batsman.
BCCI appears to be following a particular pattern
An interesting template as the team that wins the 2024 T20 World Cup title and the team that wins the 2026 T20 World Cup trophy are mostly different. Within a few years, the board refreshed most of the core squad for the T20I format.
If BCCI continues with this pattern, it may be very difficult for Sanju Samson, who is now in his thirties, to make a comeback into the team. Sanju was the hero for the Men in Blue in the 2026 T20 World Cup as he won the Player of the Tournament award for his exceptional performance.
BCCI instructed Gautam Gambhir to keep faith in Vaibhav Suryavanshi
Cricblogger claims that the board has instructed Gautam Gambhir to allow Vaibhav Suryavanshi in the remaining T20 matches against England on the current tour. If Vaibhav plays all the remaining matches of the competition, and Abhishek Sharma, who is also young, keeps his form good, there will be no vacancy for Sanju.
Sources said that as soon as Gautam Gambhir received instructions from BCCI to include Vaibhav Suryavanshi and give him all the matches of the England series, he decided to drop Sanju Samson from the playing eleven.
As per the report published by the above mentioned news website, “With Sanju being the only established member of India’s T20 squad to miss the Zimbabwe series, it appears that if Suryavanshi continues to fire on all cylinders, Gambhir may have all the doors closed for his comeback.”
Vaibhav’s inclusion in the squad for the Zimbabwe tour points to a story that will not have a happy ending for Sanju. His international future completely depends on the form of Vaibhav Suryavanshi. The explosive batting of this wonder kid can keep the T20 World Cup winner on the sidelines for a long time.