Uthappa wondered what more Samson needed to do to secure his place in the side.
When the BCCI Men's Selection Committee on Monday (July 6) announced squad for the upcoming three-T20I series against Zimbabwe, there was a notable omission in it.
India’s T20 World Cup 2026 hero Sanju Samson failed to make the cut in the 15-member squad. The wicketkeeper-batter’s snub became a talking point because it came only two days after he was replaced by teenage prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the starting XI for the second T20I against England at Old Trafford.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, former India cricketer Robin Uthappa fiercely criticized the decision to omit Samson after just a few failures in the ongoing UK tour. He questioned the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel’s consistency, emphasizing that dropping a player who starred as the Player-of-the-Tournament in India’s recent T20 World Cup triumph is baffling.
Instead of Samson, selectors have opted for Ishan Kishan and Prabhsimran Singh as the wicketkeeping options. Sooryavanshi also retained his place in the side as opener, along with Abhishek Sharma.
“When I first saw the squad, I genuinely thought it was one of those fan-made teams circulating online because Sanju’s name wasn’t there. Then I realised it was the actual squad, and my first thought was: how long are you going to keep treating one player like this? It just doesn’t feel right,” Uthappa said on his YouTube channel.
“Here’s a player who helped win you a World Cup just four months ago. Maybe he has been told he’s being rested, but does someone deserve to be left out because of two first-ball dismissals and another low score? That doesn’t make sense to me. It feels like the decisions are becoming reactive instead of being part of a clear plan," he added.
Uthappa also wondered what more Samson needed to do to secure his place in the side. “If a player can become Player of the Tournament in a World Cup and still have his place questioned, then when does he ever get that security? His selection shouldn’t even be a debate after what he achieved. He’s already proved he can win tournaments for India," he further remarked.
While the BCCI sources maintain that Sanju Samson has been "rested and not dropped" for the Zimbabwe T20I series to give exposure to younger players, some reports indicate his recent low scores have prompted the board to consider revising the 2026 Asian Games squad with potential roster changes.
Samson continued to remain absent from India’s playing XI as the visitors went with the opening pair of Sharma and Sooryavanshi for the ongoing third T20I against England at Trent Bridge.