Will Tilak Verma be removed?: The India vs England five-match T20I series is currently underway, with one match abandoned and the other two matches being won by the England national cricket team, giving them a 2-0 lead over the Men in Blue. The fourth T20I match is important for Shreyas Iyer and his team, as a defeat would see them suffer consecutive series defeats for the first time since 2018/19.
Team vice-captain Tilak Verma is struggling as his string of low scores continues. The southpaw has been criticized by many former cricketers for his role in the team, and they have also asked the management to drop him and play Sanju Samson in the next game. One reason for this is that India’s team is very heavy, which makes it easy for the opponents to plan.
Sanju Samson will replace Tilak Verma
It is expected that Sanju Samson will be kept in the playing eleven in place of Tilak Verma. #ENGvIND
– Debasis Sen (@debassissen) July 9, 2026
As per a report by Rev Sports, Sanju Samson is in contention to play in the upcoming game on Thursday. Sanju was dropped after only three bad innings and Vaibhav Suryavanshi was given a chance in the second T20 match. However, after Tilak Verma once again failed to bowl out India for 76, it is expected that the vice-captain will be removed.
India will need a right-handed middle-order batsman to balance the team. And Sanju has the experience of batting in the middle order, as he did in the Asia Cup 2025 when Shubman Gill was batting higher up the order. Now the question arises that in which position will he bat, as India can send him at No. 3 and send Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer back.
Tilak Verma’s dreadful form continues
In the last match, Tilak Verma came in to bat at number 6 below Axar Patel, which was a shock to many fans and commentators turned cricketers. He has scored 19, 55, 13, 24 not out and 3 in his last five innings, but has struggled to make a significant impact. His only major contribution was a courageous innings of 55 against Ireland, which resulted in a one-run defeat.
Tilak Verma has no idea at the moment, because he is facing problems from fast bowlers and spinners. However, this may not be an option for a batsman of his quality; The southpaw needs to find his rhythm again and score runs; Otherwise, his place in the 15-member squad will also be under question.
Sanju Samson’s recent form
Sanju Samson was dropped after a stellar performance in T20 World Cup 2026; He finished as the leading run scorer for the Men in Blue with 321 runs in five matches. He was the turning point for the team as he scored three consecutive fifties in the tournament with 89, 97 and 89 against West Indies, England and New Zealand respectively.
Sanju Samson became the Player of the Tournament for his exceptional performance, and even in the Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, for his new franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK), he did not have a good start but came back strong, scoring 477 runs with two centuries and a half-century.
