Sanju Samson Not Dropped? Reports Suggest Gautam Gambhir Has A Planned Future

New information emerges in Sanju Samson's Zimbabwe tour omission news [Source: AFP]

Senior wicketkeeper batter Sanju Samson was snubbed from India’s T20I squad for the upcoming series against Zimbabwe. However, contrary to popular belief, Samson has, in fact, not been dropped completely.

The BCCI formally released the squad for the T20I tour to Zimbabwe scheduled later this month. However, Samson’s name was nowhere to be found as Prabhsimran Singh was selected as the second-choice wicketkeeper.

Sanju Samson reportedly rested for the Zimbabwe series

Meanwhile, fans on social media immediately concluded that Sanju Samson had been dropped from the T20I following his poor scores against Ireland and England. 

However, according to sports journalist Vimal Kumar, Samson has been rested and not dropped. Sanju, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar have all been reportedly rested for the Zimbabwe series as Gautam Gambhir is likely in favour of testing bench strength.

The squad includes newcomers like Prince Yadav, Prabhsimran, Ashok Sharma, Suryansh Shegde and Mayank Yadav. Hence, Gambhir is viewing this tour as an opportunity to test the IPL performers.

However, the BCCI did not issue any clarification in the official announcement. For now, Sanju Samson is not a part of the Zimbabwe tour. Whether he has been dropped or rested is still up for debate.

Vikrant Gupta

@vikrantgupta73

The official line is Sanju Samson has been “rested”. He plays only T20s, has just been dropped from the XI and will be the only one amongst India’s T20 batting line up who’s been rested for Zimbabwe

Also Read: "Happy Retirement Sanju Samson"- Fans React As Gambhir Drops T20 WC Player Of The Tournament

Samson continues to be a part of the Asian Games 2026

Interestingly, the ‘rest’ narrative is also being pushed due to the fact that Sanju Samson is still part of India’s squad for the Asian Games 2026 tournament. He is listed as a wicketkeeper alongside Ishan Kishan.

The squad also includes players like Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh. Hence, it’s quite plausible that Samson was snubbed just for this one Zimbabwe series alone.

But at the same time, Sanju Samson is someone who plays only the T20I format and was recently dropped from the playing XI during the second T20I against England.

Hence, resting him at this stage of his career didn't make sense to a lot of fans and critics. Regardless, until and unless the Indian team management issues an official statement, the ‘rest’ vs ‘dropped’ conversation will continue to trend.

Who will replace Sanju Samson in Zimbabwe?

Having said that, in Sanju Samson’s absence, 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is most likely to open the innings for India in the 3-game T20I series against Zimbabwe.

The kid recently made his India debut during the second T20I against England, thus becoming the youngest Indian player to do so. However, his debut was ordinary, as he scored 14 runs off 10 balls.

Regardless, the management will be patient with him, as he is just a kid with raw talent that needs to be polished. The world has seen what Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is capable of during the IPL 2026, and India would certainly not want to waste his potential by being impatient.

Also Read: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Suffers Nasty Injury Scare In India Nets Before 3rd T20I