From MS Dhoni To Shreyas Iyer- Sanju Samson's Timeline With Team India Captains Since Debut

Sanju Samson [Source: AFP]

Sanju Samson has done almost everything possible to prove his worth in Indian cricket, yet he has often found himself on the fringes of the national setup. 

The Kerala wicketkeeper-batter has repeatedly moved in and out of the Indian team, with every omission being justified by reasons ranging from poor form and experimentation to team combinations.

Sanju Samson Sidelined From India's Playing XI vs England

The latest instance came during India’s ongoing T20I series against England, where Samson once again found himself on the receiving end of a controversial selection decision. 

While much of the attention was on teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Samson’s omission raised several eyebrows.

However, this is far from the first time Sanju Samson has been dropped from the playing XI. Throughout his international career, he has repeatedly been overlooked despite delivering strong performances whenever opportunities came his way.

Sanju Samson Waited Five Years After Making His T20I Debut

For those unfamiliar with his journey, Sanju Samson made his international debut in 2015 under the captaincy of Ajinkya Rahane. He made his debut against Zimbabwe and scored 19 runs.

Despite earning his India cap at the age of just 21, Samson had to wait another five years before making his next appearance for the senior national side.

During those five years, Sanju Samson’s career was marked by inconsistency at the domestic and IPL levels. While he remained a regular performer in the IPL, there were several seasons in which he started brightly but failed to maintain the same momentum in the latter half of the tournament.

The MS Dhoni Era

During MS Dhoni’s captaincy, Sanju Samson found it extremely difficult to cement his place in the Indian team due to intense competition.

The top order already featured established stars like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, while KL Rahul was preferred as the wicketkeeper-batter across formats. With limited opportunities available, Samson remained on the sidelines for most of MS Dhoni’s tenure.

Following the end of Dhoni’s captaincy era in 2019, Samson finally got another opportunity to represent India in 2020.

The Virat Kohli-Ravi Shastri Era

Under Virat Kohli’s captaincy and Ravi Shastri’s coaching, Sanju Samson returned to the national setup. However, regular opportunities still eluded him.

In 2020, he played six T20Is but managed only 64 runs at an average of 10, making it difficult to establish himself in the side.

The Rohit Sharma-Rahul Dravid Era

Even after Rohit Sharma was appointed India’s all-format captain, Samson’s fortunes did not change significantly. In 2021, he played just three T20Is and scored only 34 runs. In 2022, he featured in six matches and accumulated 179 runs, while in 2023, he managed only 78 runs from eight appearances.

Notably, Samson was in contention for a place in India’s squad for the 2022 T20 World Cup. Despite averaging 71 in ODIs leading up to the tournament, he was overlooked.

Similarly, although he was part of India’s title-winning squad at the 2024 T20 World Cup, he did not get an opportunity to feature in a single match.

Also Read: Deja Vu For Sanju Samson As Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's Debut Brings Back Painful IPL Memory

Revival Of Sanju Samson Under Suryakumar Yadav, Later Got Dropped

Sanju Samson’s career finally witnessed a turning point under Suryakumar Yadav’s captaincy.

Although his comeback began on a disappointing note with back-to-back ducks against Sri Lanka, the management continued to back him.

Samson repaid that faith spectacularly by smashing back-to-back centuries against South Africa. With consistent support from captain Suryakumar Yadav and head coach Gautam Gambhir, it appeared that Samson had finally secured his place as India’s first-choice T20 opener.

However, things changed once again during the Asia Cup 2025. Samson was moved down to the middle order after Shubman Gill was promoted to open the innings alongside Abhishek Sharma.

The positional change affected Samson’s rhythm. Batting away from his preferred opening role, he managed just one half-century in five innings before eventually being dropped during the Australia tour.

Jitesh Sharma, who had impressed as a finisher for RCB during IPL 2025, was handed opportunities in the lower middle order and featured in the final three T20Is of the Australia series.

Samson was later recalled for the home T20I series against New Zealand and returned to the playing XI. 

However, he endured another disappointing run, scoring just 46 runs in five innings. As a result, he once again found himself out of India’s preferred combination.

Benched At T20 World Cup 2026 Before A Historic Comeback

Yet again, Samson was dropped from India’s playing XI during the 2026 T20 World Cup.

For the majority of the tournament, he remained on the bench before the team management finally turned to him when opponents exposed India’s struggles against off-spin bowling.

Samson grabbed the opportunity with both hands. He not only addressed India’s weakness against spin but also emerged as one of the tournament’s standout performers, scoring more than 320 runs in just five innings. His performances included match-winning half-centuries in both the semifinal and the final.

For his remarkable contributions, Samson was named the Player of the Tournament as India successfully defended their T20 World Cup title.

Dropped Again Under Shreyas Iyer’s Leadership

Following such an extraordinary campaign, it was widely expected that Samson would become a permanent fixture in India’s T20I side. 

However, things took another unfortunate turn. India’s first assignment after the T20 World Cup 2026 was a two-match T20I series against Ireland, where Samson scored just five runs across two innings.

His struggles continued in the opening T20I against England, where he managed only 1 run from seven deliveries. As a result, Samson once again lost his place in the playing XI and was dropped for the second T20I against England. 

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