3 min readJul 7, 2026 01:41 PM IST
Veteran India batsman Ajinkya Rahane has reacted to Sanju Samson’s omission from India’s three-match T20I tour to Zimbabwe later this month, stating that he found it odd to see a ‘hero’ of India’s T20 World Cup-winning squad not featuring in the squad for the series.
Samson was excluded from the squad for the series starting on July 23, with Prabhsimran Singh included as the second wicketkeeper to back up Ishan Kishan.
“Hope there has been some communication with Sanju Samson. Find it odd that the hero of our recent T20 WC win has been left out of the T20 squad to Zimbabwe. Hope to see him back in the team soon,” Rahane wrote on Instagram.
Samson will miss the three-match series but is part of the Indian squad that will compete at the Asian Games in Japan in September.
Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin had also reacted to Samson’s exclusion from the squad, saying that if the management does not show the required confidence in players, then it could create doubt in the mind with regard to their place in the side.
“Two players who are doing well in the team ethos. If we show a lack of confidence like that, all the other players in the team will think that they are next. If they know they are the next, why will they play at a higher strike rate? They will knock them out. If they have to score 50 in 25 balls, they will score in 32 balls. The eventual loser will be Team India,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
“Sanju played a brilliant knock in the T20 World Cup. After that, he smashed it for CSK in the IPL this year. I haven’t seen him this consistent before. He was in great phase so I felt this was a bit harsh. I have been saying this for a long time. It’s not about Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. I don’t know when we will understand this. I am a big fan of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. He will play and no one can stop him. What’s the hurry?,” he added.
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The 31-year-old was omitted from India’s playing XI for the second T20I against England in Manchester on Saturday, with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi coming in his place and making his international debut.
