Are India making mistake by not playing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi instead of Sanju Samson?

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Sanju Samson are fighting for a place as an opener in T20Is.

The five-match T20I series between India and West Indies is currently underway, and it has proved to be a highly fought one. India recorded a comprehensive win in the first game, Lucknow, where captain Shreyas Iyer slammed a blistering century.

Team India batted incredibly well in the second game in Ranchi and scored 249/5, but their bowling was horrible, and they conceded those runs with nine balls to spare. Sanju Samson scored a long-awaited half-century and scored 82 off 41 balls.

It was only his third half-century in the last 12 innings since the final of the T20 World Cup 2026 a few months back. Samson has been struggling for a while now, and it has also impacted India in crucial matches also.

In the third T20I between the two teams at Holkar Stadium, India have stuck with Samson at the top. And once again, Samson failed to make an impact at the top in the powerplay.

IND vs WI: Are India making a mistake by playing Sanju Samson over Vaibhav Sooryavanshi?

Samson played a crucial role in India winning the T20 World Cup 2026 and was the Player of the Tournament. Without him, India might not have won the title. But since then, his form has declined a bit, which has affected India’s combination at times.

Every batting failure is putting pressure on Samson and India. Especially when Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is sitting at the bench. The 15-year-old was handed his debut cap in July 2026 against England, and he impressed everyone with his fearless approach and range of power-hitting.

Suryavanshi has played 8 innings and scored 246 runs at 30.76 and a strike rate of 186.36. Though Samson has produced a good inning here and there, but he hasn’t been consistent with the bat. His average of 27.21, which has declined drastically in the last few months, also indicates the game.

So, are India making a mistake by playing Samson? So far, it looks like it. The next T20 World Cup is still two years away, and India have enough time to test and groom Sooryavanshi. Samson will be 33-34 until the next T20 World Cup.

Meanwhile, the current numbers are also in favor of Sooryavanshi. Samson usually takes time at the start, whereas the 15-year-old believes in going after the ball from the world go.

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