Former India batter Mohammad Kaif has questioned India’s decision to pick Sanju Samson ahead of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for the first T20I against Afghanistan.Samson returned to the Indian team but managed only 10 runs off nine balls as India beat Afghanistan by seven wickets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Sunday.Sooryavanshi was among India’s best performers on their recent tour of Zimbabwe. The 15-year-old was named Player of the Series after India completed a 3-0 T20I series sweep.The youngster also scored runs for East Zone in the Duleep Trophy 2026. However, he was left out of India’s playing XI for the first T20I against Afghanistan.
Samson over Sooryavanshi
India had to choose between Sooryavanshi and Samson after the latter returned to the squad. Samson had missed the Zimbabwe tour and was also dropped from the playing XI midway through the series in England.Samson opened the innings with Abhishek Sharma against Afghanistan. The pair added 18 runs in 2.1 overs before Azmatullah Omarzai dismissed Samson.
Kaif questions Samson’s selection
Kaif questioned the decision to pick Samson over Sooryavanshi, especially as Samson had not played competitive cricket after being left out of India’s squad for the Zimbabwe tour.“What did Sanju do to play the first T20I? When you are dropped from the team, you play in different tournaments to return to form, but nothing like that happened in Samson’s case. Why didn’t you opt for the Abhishek and Suryavanshi combination after the young batter did well in Zimbabwe? They are not sure about their best opening combination. The Indian team is still thinking about their openers. Vaibhav must have felt bad as he didn’t do anything wrong. This could lead to confusion, which is not good for any team,” Kaif said on Cricbuzz.The former India cricketer also felt the decision showed that the team management was still unsure about its preferred opening combination.“In my opinion, they are hesitating a bit; they are unsure of what their best opening combination is. The Indian team are still thinking about it. Vaibhav must be saying what did I do wrong? So this is a state of confusion going on, there is no doubt about it,” he added.
Sanju Samson under pressure after another low score
Samson has struggled for runs since India’s 2026 T20 World Cup final. He has scored 43 runs at an average of 8.60 since then. He was expected to play in the Kerala Cricket League after being dropped from the national team but opted out at the last moment due to personal reasons.The Kerala batter had also scored only 33 runs in four innings before the Afghanistan series.With Sooryavanshi waiting for an opportunity, Samson will be under pressure to score runs and retain his place at the top of the order.
Abhishek Sharma powers India to victory
India, however, made a strong start to the Afghanistan series with a seven-wicket victory.After restricting Afghanistan to 156/8, Abhishek Sharma smashed 82 off 32 balls to lead India’s chase. The hosts reached the target in just 13.4 overs. Ishan Kishan also made an important contribution after overcoming a minor back injury scare during training. He scored 42 off 33 balls, with five fours and a six.Abhishek’s aggressive knock also helped him answer questions about his recent form.India and Afghanistan will face each other in the second T20I on Tuesday.
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