‘Why Is It Always Sanju Samson?’ Three-Time IPL Winner Questions India’s Selection After England T20I Series Loss

Parthiv Patel has questioned India’s decision to drop Sanju Samson during the ongoing T20I series against England, saying the move does not make much sense after the wicketkeeper-batter’s performances at the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

Samson was one of India’s biggest match-winners during the World Cup. He played three crucial innings and finished as the tournament’s Player of the Tournament. However, his form dipped after the event, managing only six runs in his first three T20I innings against England, including a duck.

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Following those scores, the Indian team management left Samson out of the playing XI and handed a debut to 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Since then, Samson has remained on the bench while India have lost three matches in a row and already conceded the five-match series.

Speaking on JioHotstar, Patel said Samson has often found himself under pressure throughout his international career despite getting fewer chances than others.

“Why is it always Sanju Samson who misses out? If you look at Sanju Samson’s career over the last 11-12 years, the one question that has always followed him is consistency.

Either the player who isn’t scoring quickly enough gets left out, or the one who has been inconsistent. You can’t make decisions based on both emotion and logic. So emotionally, yes, it was the right call to give Vaibhav Sooryavanshi a chance. But if you go purely by logic, then why has Sanju Samson been left out? So, I think this decision was taken emotionally.”

Patel acknowledged that Samson’s inconsistency had been discussed before, but felt dropping him in the middle of the series after just three innings was difficult to understand.

He also said fans often believe that the player sitting outside the team would have performed better if given a chance. Patel used Shreyas Iyer and Rajat Patidar as examples to explain his point.

“This is just how we are. Whenever someone isn’t in the team, we automatically feel they’re the one who would have done a better job. At the last T20 World Cup, Shreyas Iyer wasn’t there, and everyone kept asking, ‘Why isn’t Shreyas Iyer in the team?’”

“Now that he’s back, people are saying Rajat Patidar should be in the side.”

India have already lost the T20I series after falling 3-0 behind England with one match still left to play. Patel also raised questions over the planning of India’s batting unit during the tour.