Watch - Sanju Samson Hangs Head In Shame After England Star Pulls Off A Heroic Catch

Sanju Samson fails yet again [Source: X]

In the first T20I between India and England, opener Sanju Samson had a failure as he was dismissed cheaply in the powerplay. Since this was his third consecutive failure, Sanju had to face the wrath of the fans.

Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opted to bat first. While the pitch was even, India opted for three spinners, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy and Axar Patel. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was again snubbed despite the recent loss against Ireland.

Sanju Samson fails yet again as an opener

Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer’s decision to bat first quickly backfired. Opener Sanju Samson, who scored 5 and 0 in the T20I series against Ireland, failed to make an impact yet again.

In the second over of the powerplay, Saqib Mahmood bowled a full delivery outside off stump to Samson. The Indian opener tried to play an attacking drive through the off side.

He timed the shot well, but the problem was that the ball was slightly away from his body, forcing him to reach for it. The drive came off the bat with some elevation instead of staying along the ground, and the ball flew quickly towards backward point, where Tom Banton reacted brilliantly.

England Cricket

@englandcricket

Bird? 🐦 ❌ Plane? ✈️ ❌ Tom Banton! ✅

Jul 1, 2026, 10:19 PM

Banton dived across to his right and completed a sharp two-handed catch to send Sanju Samson back to the pavilion on just 1 off 7 balls. This was Samson’s third consecutive single-digit score in the last 3 games, and naturally, fans weren’t impressed with him.

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Fans lash out at Samson on social media

Meanwhile, as soon as Sanju Samson walked back with his head down in disappointment, the enraged fans took to social media to unleash their wrath.

The opener’s third failure meant that fans ran out of patience. Since the IPL 2026, Indian supporters have been wanting to see Vaibhav Sooryavanshi make his international debut.

However, he is being held back for Sanju Samson, as the latter is more experienced and also helped India win the T20 World Cup 2026. But with Samson wasting his opportunities, fans’ demand for Vaibhav’s inclusion has only increased.

India in serious trouble with Saqib’s twin strike

Having said that, Sanju Samson’s dismissal wasn’t the only blow to India’s first innings. In the same second over, Saqib Mahmood also deceived Ishan Kishan, the recently crowned No. 1 T20I batter.

Kishan tapped the ball towards mid-on and immediately looked for a quick single. He was fully committed to the run and sprinted down the pitch. However, his partner, Abhishek Sharma, did not respond and decided not to run.

By the time Kishan realised there was no single available, he was already halfway down the pitch. He tried to turn back but had lost too much ground.

Ishan Kishan threw himself forward with a desperate dive, but the throw reached the keeper, and the replay showed he was short of his crease. He had to walk back on a two-ball duck, and suddenly, India were 2 down with just 6 runs on the board.

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