Sanju Samson – Rested or Dropped?

On Monday, the BCCI announced the squad for the three-match T20I series in Zimbabwe, starting on July 23. The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee didn’t tinker with the batting core, save for the omission of Sanju Samson. The press release issued by the cricket board didn’t mention the reason. It simply said: “The Selection Committee has named Shivam Dube as a replacement for Nitish Kumar Reddy in India’s squad for the ODI series against England.”

So, was Sanju Samson dropped, or has he been rested? Of course, the wicketkeeper-batsman is still very much in the T20I scheme of things, having been named in India’s squad for the Asian Games in September-October. As regards the series in Zimbabwe, the theory that he is being ‘allowed to cool his heels’ is doing the rounds. But why would a player who plays only one format in international cricket be rested, especially when he needs to regain form?

After three low scores — 5, 0 and 1 — against Ireland and England, Sanju lost his place in the playing XI. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was handed his senior international debut at Old Trafford, and it is very likely that the teenager will feature in the remaining three T20Is in England as well. For Sanju, the series against Zimbabwe could have been the ideal opportunity to rediscover his mojo.

Yes, a tour of Zimbabwe allows the selectors to test their bench strength and, accordingly, Prabhsimran Singh has been drafted into the squad as Ishan Kishan’s back-up. But Abhishek Sharma could just as easily have been rested for the tour. The left-hand batter is an automatic pick in the shortest format. He is also in excellent form. Missing a series in Zimbabwe wouldn’t have jeopardised his place. Why is it always Sanju? The question has to be asked.

After India suffered a T20I whitewash against Ireland, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate spoke about backing players and giving them a “long run” during the post-match press conference. Morne Morkel, the team’s bowling coach, echoed those sentiments ahead of the second T20I against England. About 24 hours later, Shreyas Iyer, the captain, confirmed at the toss that Sanju had been left out of the playing XI, with Sooryavanshi replacing him.

Yes, Sanju wasn’t at his best in the last three matches. Then again, India’s series defeat to Ireland was the result of a collective batting failure. Only Tilak Varma scored a half-century in the series. Inconsistency has been a problem throughout Sanju’s career, which is one reason why he has played only 65 T20Is and scored 1,405 runs since making his debut in July 2015. Then again, the 31-year-old has never played for personal milestones.

He didn’t mind remaining unbeaten on 97 against the West Indies in the T20 World Cup earlier this year. It was a must-win game for India. In the semi-final against England, he didn’t slow down after reaching the eighties. He played for the team. He led India’s resurgence at the ICC showpiece after returning to the playing XI and walked away with the Player of the Tournament award. Just three failures later, he was dropped from the playing XI, followed by his omission from the Zimbabwe tour. There has been no official explanation for the decision.

Rewind to the 2024 T20 World Cup, when Yashasvi Jaiswal was India’s reserve opener. On the subsequent tour of Zimbabwe, India experimented with Abhishek Sharma at the top of the order, and that marked the beginning of a new chapter in the opening combination. Jaiswal, meanwhile, hasn’t featured in a T20I for the last two years.

With the emergence of Sooryavanshi, Sanju appears to have slipped down the pecking order.

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