Former Indian Test opener Wasim Jaffer reckons Sanju Samson would walk into the side of many other international teams. Samson has been included in the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan after he was left out of the Zimbabwe tour.
The Kerala batter had played only two of the five T20Is against England but had failed to impress on the UK tour. Samson was India’s hero in the T20 World Cup 2026, scoring 321 runs in five matches at an average of 80.25 and a strike rate of 199.38. Thus, he was awarded Player of the Tournament.
Samson also amassed 477 runs in 14 matches in his debut season for the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2026.
Wasim Jaffer said on his YouTube Channel, “I feel he would walk into the side of many other international teams, but because there is so much competition in the Indian team, he has to sit out, and many times, he ends up being the one who pays the price. But I hope that now that he has been picked, he gets consistent runs. And I would also say to Sanju that he should give them no reason to drop him again.”
Jaffer added that every player wants the team to do well, but sitting on the bench can be personally challenging.
“No matter what, it does hurt you from within. But overall, you have to look at the bigger picture. You want your team to do well and your country to do well, so it is very important for a player to have that mindset, to put yourself aside and look at things from the team’s perspective. So, you have to praise Sanju Samson because it is difficult to digest seeing a player like him sitting on the bench.”
The former domestic giant added that ideally Sanju Samson should bat in the top three for India.
“Ideally, Sanju Samson should play at No. 1 or 2 or 3. But where will you play Ishan? And with Ishan being in such good form, would you drop him? Shreyas Iyer bats at No. 4. So, there are a lot of question marks. Will Vaibhav be dropped again and Sanju be brought into the playing XI? I don’t know. Only time will tell. But ideally, he should play in the top three.”
The first T20I between Afghanistan and India will be played at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, on September 13.
