Karim emphasized that Samson was POTM during India’s victorious 2026 T20 World Cup campaign.
Teenage batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was benched again as the first T20I between India and England in Chester-le-Street on Wednesday (July 1) was abandoned due to rain. India's team management chose to sit the 15-year-old out despite losing 0-2 to Ireland in Belfast last week.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shreyas Iyer have opted to stick with the World Cup-winning opening pair of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma.
While Sharma has produced knocks of 49 and 59 along with a duck on the tour of UK so far, Samson has failed to reach double figures, returning with scores of 5, 0 and 1.
As a result, the wicketkeeper-batter faces immediate pressure. This dip has intensified demands from fans and analysts to debut Sooryavanshi, who was rewarded with a place in India’s T20I squad following a record-breaking IPL 2026 campaign.
Meanwhile, former BCCI selector Saba Karim has strongly defended Samson, questioning the growing public clamour to drop him from the T20I playing XI
Karim emphasized that Samson was named the Player of the Tournament during India’s victorious 2026 T20 World Cup campaign in March. He believes it is too early to point fingers at a proven match-winner based on a few lean bilateral outings.
"I don't think so at this stage. Sanju Samson is a fabulous player. He has been a match-winner. He had a very good IPL season. Before that, he was the Player of the Tournament in the T20 World Cup. What are we looking at? Sanju Samson would be thinking, 'Why is everyone pointing the gun at me?'" Saba said on Star Sports' show 'Follow the Blues'.
Karim noted that being around the senior team is an excellent learning curve for Sooryavanshi, who must earn his spot in the playing XI rather than get pushed in prematurely.
"Even for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, this is a good learning curve. He also gets to understand that to get into this Indian team XI, you have to earn your call-up. This environment will help him grow as a player and as a human being. Although he has got such an incredible amount of talent, when you get into such a competitive environment, you need to bide your time," he added.
Former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara, who was also part of the discussion, endorsed similar views.
"This is a massive opportunity for him. He might not have got a chance in the playing XI, but he is part of the Indian team. It's a big thing if you are in the 15-member squad, and it's a dream-come-true moment for him. When he gets a chance in the playing XI, it will be an even bigger moment than that," Pujara stated.
"He will have to wait for his opportunity. It's a big positive for Vaibhav Suryavanshi that he is part of the squad. He gets to train with the players and be in an environment where senior cricketers and coaches are around him to learn from. He is an exceptional talent, but he will have to wait a little for that opportunity," he remarked.
At 15 years and over 90 days old, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is on the verge of shattering Sachin Tendulkar’s 36-year-old record to become the youngest debutant in men’s cricket for India. Tendulkar was 16 years and 205 days when he made his international debut against Pakistan in 1989.
If the wonder kid from Bihar features in the five-T20I series against England, he would become the youngest debutant ever for India across both men's and women's cricket. The record is currently held by Shafali Verma, whose maiden appearance for India came at the age of 15 years and 239 days.
The second T20I between India and England is slated to take place at Old Trafford, Manchester on Saturday (July 4).