Following India's heavy 125-run loss to England in the third T20I, head coach Gautam Gambhir addressed the decision to drop wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson from the playing eleven. Gambhir stated that he had personally explained Samson's omission, emphasizing that selection is based on current form and winning combinations rather than past achievements.
Despite being named the Player of the Tournament at the recent T20 World Cup, the 31-year-old Samson was benched after a string of low scores (5, 0, and 1) and replaced by 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
Samson was also excluded from the Zimbabwe tour. However, Gambhir emphasized that the door was not closed, noting that Samson remains part of India's plans and could return later in the current five-match series against England, which India currently trails 0-2.
