Will Sanju Samson play 1st IND vs AFG T20I?

Sanju Samson was Player of the Tournament in ICC T20 World CUp 2026.

The Indian Cricket Team is set to play a three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, starting from September 13. All of the matches will be played at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, and Afghanistan are the hosts for the series.

India are the current World Cup champions in the T20 format. They won the World Cup earlier this year in March after defeating New Zealand in the final. Sanju Samson was named the Player of the Tournament for his brilliant performance throughout the tournament. He played three back-to-back incredible innings in the knockouts when the team needed him the most.

However, the next time the T20I team stepped out to play, they were under par and got whitewashed in back-to-back series by Ireland and England. Shreyas Iyer, who was the newly appointed captain, faced a lot of criticism, and the team management decided to bench Sanju Samson and try out Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as an opener against England. Later, Samson was also dropped from the squad for the series against Zimbabwe.

Will Sanju Samson return to India’s playing XI for the first T20I against Afghanistan?

Sanju Samson, who has been added to the squad for the Afghanistan series, may find his place back in the playing XI of the Indian team. He was seen practicing alongside Abhishek Sharma against Ravi Bishnoi, Axar Patel, and Shivam Dube. The batting session lasted 45 minutes, as per Rohit Juglan of Revsportz.

The Indian management still hasn’t figured out the opening combination. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has impressed everyone, but his place is also not fixed in the team, and Samson would like to regain his form and cement his place in the team. He can also be pushed into the middle order to accommodate both him and Vaibhav, but it will be highly unlikely as it may disrupt the other players.

The opening combination will be a headache for head coach Gautam Gambhir, and he may give Samson a few chances to show his calibre. Samson will be eager to make the most of the opportunity and prove his worth once again. With the Afghanistan series providing another chance to impress, his performance could play a crucial role in determining his place in the team.

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