Selection options for the first T20 International India And South Africa The exclusion of the popular wicketkeeper-batsman from the Barabati Stadium has sparked criticism. sanju samson Which angered fans and pundits alike. The team management’s decision to stick to the combination that clinched the recent Australia series was particularly noteworthy. Jitesh Sharma As a first-choice gloveman, the key has been widely criticized as a backward step in construction. t20 world cup 2026,
India stuck to the recent template and dropped Sanju Samson
Leading India’s playing eleven Suryakumar YadavSaw the return of the key all-rounder hardik pandya and opener Shubman Gillbut otherwise retained the core group from the previous series. This meant there was no room for either Samson or the spinner. -Kuldeep YadavThe team management was reportedly favoring Jitesh’s finishing abilities in the lower-middle order.
Samson, who was previously batting at the top of the order before the return of vice-captain Gill, has since struggled to cement his position in the middle order, a situation which captain Suryakumar has previously described as a “good headache” for the team.
India (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Verma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dubey, Jitesh Sharma (w), Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakraborty, Arshdeep Singh.
Samson’s omission, especially in a crucial series aimed at finalizing the squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, did not go down well with most fans. Social media platforms were flooded with angry messages and trending hashtags, with many slamming the BCCI and the team management for their inconsistent and unfair treatment of the talented Kerala cricketer.
Here’s how fans reacted:
So the guy who had scored two T20 centuries against South Africa the last time we played… he now had to sit on the bench.
It really feels like the system continues to favor certain players regardless of form, while the truly deserving ones don’t always get the same reassurance or… pic.twitter.com/1EP8rBFQDx
– Sanju Samson Fan Page (@SanjuSamsonFP) 9 December 2025
– Ishaan’s career ended when he came to open in ODI
– Jaiswal’s career is over to open in T20
– Virat was forced to retire from Test to play at number 4
Rohit’s captaincy career is over
– Sanju Samson’s opening career endedTo smother every important match, Prince Shubman Gill is for you pic.twitter.com/W7UeirJbMs
-Aditya (@Wxtreme10) 9 December 2025
T20 World Cup is near and as usual, politics has started against Sanju Samson.
I will never forgive Gill for snatching Sanju Samson’s place in the Indian team pic.twitter.com/EEXsJh8rj3
– The Brevis (@Ben10Brevis) 9 December 2025
🤯 **Sanju Samson left out for the first T20I against South Africa? seriously?**
With the T20 World Cup around the corner, how can India ignore a player of this form just for the sake of ‘flexibility’?
Highlights of SMAT 2025 Campaign:
✅ **233 runs @ 58.25 avg** (in 6 games)
🔥 Score **73* (56), 51*… pic.twitter.com/DwAB3SHvEy– Dipankar (@DipankarRish) 9 December 2025
🚨Politics wins, cricket loses🚨
Politician Gautam Gambhir and Vacation Man Ajit Agarkar have successfully destroyed Sanju Samson’s career
– First of all he removed Sanju from the opening.
– Then, they dropped him, and in the next series too they will drop him from the teampic.twitter.com/m5P8v0qhLk– Mr. Stranger (@mrstranger005) 9 December 2025
I was waiting the whole day to see Sanju Samson bat in the evening.
Gautam Gambhir and Surya Kumar Yadav God is watching everything.pic.twitter.com/JpUqVrRk1W
– Dhruv Thakur (@Dhruv_Thakur___) 9 December 2025
Shubman Gill has not even been able to cross the 50 mark in 13 innings this year.
You can buy sold out journalists like @rohitjuglan And run all the negative PR you want on the underdogs, like Sanju Samson, who scored the most centuries in a calendar year, but that doesn’t score runs for you. pic.twitter.com/QSZD2ijY8f
– Anurag™ (@SamsonCentral) 9 December 2025
Whenever I see Sanju Samson out under the coaching of Gautam Gambhir, my mind immediately remembers all the tweets posted by him. pic.twitter.com/ftYzn1EYbX
-Vipin Tiwari (@Vipintivari952) 9 December 2025
Justice for Sanju Samson, he will not play today pic.twitter.com/0iHRm75AwD
– Chinmay Shah (@chinmaysha28) 9 December 2025
Gautam Gambhir dropped Sanju Samson for this unsuccessful T20 player Shubman Gill 🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/T0dXdZEIl6
—` (@Itz_Bl3ze) 9 December 2025
-Won the CEAT Men’s T20I Batsman of the Year a few months ago.
-WC is coming in and still not in the XI.If your name is Sanju Samson then it is very common.
god is watching @GautamGambhir pic.twitter.com/tALI2vjydD
– Anurag™ (@SamsonCentral) 9 December 2025
There is no Sanju Samson in the playing 11 for today’s match, it cannot be imagined that Shubman Gill and Jitesh Sharma are playing ahead of Sanju Samson.
Hong Kong Yadav and Gautam Gambhir you should be ashamed.
– Dhruv Thakur (@Dhruv_Thakur___) 9 December 2025
Sanju has 3 centuries in his name as an opener in 10 innings.
Gill has 0 fifties in 13 inningsBias so strong it puts even the scorecard to shame.🤡
Sanju Samson >>>>>>>>>>>Shubman Gill pic.twitter.com/JhyWrYotUw
– 🍇🍪🍪🍪 (@luckycskky7) 9 December 2025
SKY and Shubman Gill have been failing in T20i for a long time. Even during the Asia Cup and its finals, he had to struggle. Yet all it took was one bad game for Sanju Samson to be eliminated. SKY has at least performed for India in the past, but Gill is becoming the new Pant in T20Is. https://t.co/GYr31Rm8m6 pic.twitter.com/FzRoO2suke
– JJ (@JJhuMybe) 9 December 2025
Sanju Samson was dropped after joining CSK, you can’t convince me that he doesn’t hate CSK players. pic.twitter.com/N3vHoi0Tjh
—` (@Itz_Bl3ze) 9 December 2025
Also read: IND vs SA: 3 Indian players who can trouble South Africa in T20 series
