Sanju Samson has backed India’s difficult selection calls amid competition from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for an opening spot, saying players must support whoever makes the side and remain ready for their own opportunity. Being left out, he said, cannot become a reason to sulk or question a teammate’s inclusion.
Speaking after his 22-ball 57 helped India beat Afghanistan by seven wickets at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Tuesday, Samson addressed the challenge of accommodating himself, Abhishek Sharma and the 15-year-old Sooryavanshi in the opening combination.
Samson and Abhishek have opened in both matches of the series, which India lead 2-0, leaving Sooryavanshi waiting despite his successful tour of Zimbabwe.
“I think they are competitors for the outside world, but we are a team and we are playing for a country. We want to win the game first, and then it comes down to the other individuals,” Samson said.
“We try to be as positive as possible, and whoever is playing, we want them to do well. We just have to be ready for our own opportunity. We can’t sulk or be in a negative frame of mind, thinking, ‘Yaar, mujhe nahi mila, usko kyun diya.’ Those kinds of mindsets don’t work here.”
Why has Sooryavanshi’s form made India’s opening selection difficult?
The question put to Samson was about more than his own place: How do three performing batters handle the pressure of competing for two opening positions, and what does that competition look like within the team?
Samson acknowledged the difficulty facing the captain, coach and selectors.
“All of them are really good, all of them are performing, and all of them have to be given the right opportunity to keep performing at the international level,” he said.
Sooryavanshi’s recent returns explain the strength of his selection claim. He scored 151 runs at an average of 50.33 during India’s 3-0 T20I series victory in Zimbabwe in July, winning the Player of the Series award.
Earlier, the teenager had amassed 776 runs for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL 2026, hitting 72 sixes across the tournament.
Abhishek, meanwhile, followed his 32-ball 82 in the Afghanistan series opener with 39 off 19 balls on Tuesday. He and Samson added 88 for the first wicket in the second match.
“As I said before, playing for the Indian team and scoring runs is not an easy thing. You are seeing a 15-year-old boy who has come after scoring 700-800 runs,” Samson said.
“I didn’t perform in two-three games, and he was in form. We wanted to win games in that series, and it was very understandable from a leadership point of view.”
Drawing on his experience of selection uncertainty, Samson said the response had to remain constructive.
“I have been in this kind of space for quite a few years, so I just know how to balance it out. Just think about what is in my control and try to be very positive with your competitors as well.”
What helped Samson handle being left out after the World Cup?
Samson’s captaincy experience and clear communication from the team management helped him accept being left out of India’s playing 11 after his T20 World Cup success.
He had been named Player of the Tournament after scoring 321 runs in five innings at an average of 80.25 and a strike rate of 199.37. His final three innings were 97 not out against the West Indies, 89 against England in the semi-final and 89 against New Zealand in the final.
But scores of five and zero against Ireland, followed by one in the first T20I against England, brought another change in the opening combination, with Sooryavanshi replacing him. At Trent Bridge in July, head coach Gautam Gambhir said he had explained the decision to Samson while keeping their conversation private.
Having faced similar choices as an Indian Premier League (IPL) captain, Samson understood the management’s position.
“I have also taken many tough calls as a captain in an IPL franchise, so I understand.”
The conversations continued during the England tour and before the Afghanistan series, helping Samson understand what the management expected of him.
“Even during the England series, there was a lot of communication. Before this series also, he spoke to me a lot.”
For Samson, the willingness to make an unpopular decision was part of putting the team’s requirements first.
“Taking hard decisions is not easy. Taking a very popular decision is the easiest thing. But I think, as a leadership group, we have been taking some really tough calls, keeping the team in front. That’s where we have to give credit to the leadership group of our team.”
Why did Samson keep attacking despite the selection pressure?
Tuesday’s innings illustrated the approach Samson was defending. Seven fours and four sixes accounted for 52 of his 57 runs — 91.2 per cent of the total — as he scored at a strike rate of 259.09.
Asked whether that approach had been decided beforehand or dictated by the surface, Samson linked it to India’s established T20 method.
“To be very honest, I think it’s the nature of the format and the way we have been playing for the last two-three years. We are actually the world champions now, and we have a format and approach which has been very successful. So we are just following it as we have been for the last two-three years.”
The intention, he explained, was to maximise the powerplay even when recent failures made another dismissal harder to absorb.
“It’s about just watching the ball and trying to get maximum out in the powerplay. Sometimes it works out well, sometimes it doesn’t. After a few failures, you definitely go through a lot. Being an Indian cricketer, it’s not easy to face failures, but that’s where my experience comes in.”
Samson said the possibility of further criticism could not determine his shot selection.
“I try to shut out the noise, try to be confident and come out and still keep scoring at a high strike rate, even taking the chances, even knowing that if I fail again, I will be facing a lot of noise. But I think that’s the way we are built here in Indian cricket. I just go out there and try to score maximum and contribute.”
How does Samson balance consistency with high-risk batting?
Samson focuses on consistency in preparation, practice and mindset as he balances competition for a place with India’s demand for attacking cricket.
“I think consistency in my process, consistency in my preparation, consistency in how I am practising and how I am putting my hard yards in, I think that’s where I try to focus.”
That focus comes with an acceptance that preparation cannot guarantee runs in every innings, particularly when the team expects its batters to keep taking chances.
“You can’t control consistency in the result in this format. As you rightly said, you can’t say, ‘Okay, let me be consistent in the outcome.’ We have to strike at a 200 strike rate, and you just have to hit a six or four off every ball. I think then you can’t think about consistency or scoring your own runs.”
The backing of the captain and coach gives Samson the confidence to sustain that approach, even when it brings failures.
“That’s where the captain and the coach come in. Each and every chat which you have in the dressing room, I think they back you 100 per cent. They want you to go out and play a very fearless kind of cricket.”
Abhishek’s innings in the opener and Samson’s contribution in the second match reflected that shared approach.
“In the last match, you saw Abhishek doing it beautifully. I tried to do it in this match. So yeah, that’s what we are trying to achieve as a team.”
Why does Samson try to switch off the Wi-Fi?
Samson tries to limit his exposure to criticism by switching off the Wi-Fi. He admits, however, that comments still reach him and affect him.
“I try to switch the Wi-Fi off. But sometimes the Wi-Fi gets switched on and comments become visible. Some senior player says something. So I think it’s very normal.”
While he cannot control how others frame their opinions, Samson tries to manage his own response.
“It’s their choice, it’s their frame of mind and what words they want to use. It’s totally up to them. They can use a positive frame of sentences or they can use a negative frame of sentences.”
Experience has helped him cope with criticism without making him immune to it.
“I think I have been mature enough and experienced enough to know how to handle it. Earlier, it used to hurt a little. I’m not a machine, actually. We are not robots that we can say, ‘No, it doesn’t affect me.’ Definitely, it affects you.”
“You get a bit affected, but then you try to talk to yourself and tell yourself who you are and what you need to do.”
His World Cup success has strengthened that confidence, giving him something to draw on when pressure builds.
“I think I’ve had a very good international career. I have been very grateful. I think the World Cup has also helped a lot.”
“Whatever pressure you are in, you kind of realise what type of player you are, and you just try to go out there and express yourself, keeping your team in front.”
Samson tries to keep the fear of another round of criticism from influencing his shot selection.
“If I paid attention to those things, I couldn’t bat like this. Before hitting a shot, I would think ten times, ‘Yaar, out ho gaya toh phir Wi-Fi problem ho jayega.’ So instead, I tell myself, ‘Koi baat nahi.’”
