Will Sanju Samson play tonight in second IND vs AFG T20I?

Sanju Samson has just managed to score 43 runs in his last five outings for India in T20Is.

Sanju Samson’s place in India’s T20I XI has become quite an interesting topic prior to the second Afghanistan T20I match despite a poor performance in the first one. The wicketkeeper-batter has made great strides in India’s T20 set-up and was a key member of the 2026 T20 World Cup-winning squad. 

However, Sanju Samson’s career at the international level has seen periods of inconsistency. With India having several good batting options, any chance each player receives is important. It has all become even more fascinating after the emergence of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who was India’s Player of the Series in the previous T20I series played against Zimbabwe.

India defeated Afghanistan in the first T20I game by seven wickets, with Abhishek Sharma hitting 82 runs in just 32 balls and Ishan Kishan scoring 42 runs. Sanju Samson, on the other hand, could only make 10 runs before getting out early.

Will India retain Sanju Samson for the second T20I against Afghanistan?

Undoubtedly, Samson’s current form is a matter of worry. Samson’s recent series saw him return poor scores against Ireland, England, and Afghanistan, with the latest T20I marking another poor outing for the Indian batsman.

More than that, there are players who can compete with Samson for the T20I spot. Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and the young talent Vaibhav Sooryavanshi are among those players in India’s squad who could all feature as openers for the Men in Blue. The exclusion of Sooryavanshi from the first game brought criticism, especially given his Player of the Series against Zimbabwe.

However, based on the latest T20I game predictions, Samson seems to possibly retain his place in the lineup for the second game of the series, which means that most probably Samson will be given the second chance right away.

Thus, the second game of the series is another opportunity for Samson to get back in form before facing any repurcussions after a poor game. At the same time the competition exists, and if Samson continues to struggle, there will be more questions regarding his spot, with Sooryavanshi eagerly waiting for his turn.

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