Gautam Gambhir addresses Sanju Samson's exclusion from England series

India head coach Gautam Gambhir has addressed the decision to drop Sanju Samson during the recent series against England, describing it as the “toughest decision of my tenure.”

Despite Samson’s significant contributions to India’s success in the 2026 T20 World Cup, where he was named Player of the Tournament, his performance during the England tour was inconsistent. Samson struggled in matches against Ireland, scoring 0 and 5, and managed only one run from seven balls in the first T20 against England.

Due to these low scores, the team management opted to provide an opportunity to young talent Vaibhav Suryavanshi. However, Suryavanshi also struggled to convert opportunities into significant scores, recording 14, 13, and 15 runs across three matches. Samson eventually returned to the squad for the final match of the series. Gambhir emphasized that the decision was based on performance requirements rather than any doubt regarding Samson’s inherent talent.