Sanju Samson was excluded from India XI for the last two T20Is against England.
Following three straight low scores, Samson was left out of the India XI for the recent two matches against England. This was even though Samson had helped India win the 2026 T20 World Cup with a hat trick of half-centuries in the tournament in crucial games.
On the other hand, Tilak’s form has fluctuated in T20Is throughout 2026, averaging less than 30 at a strike rate of just 136.01. But he was just promoted to vice captain of India's T20I team, with Shreyas Iyer being named captain.
Badrinath, while speaking on his YouTube channel, pointed out the difference in selection metrics while highlighting Tilak Varma’s woeful outings against spinners in T20Is.
"Tilak Varma has been woeful against spin in T20Is this year. He is averaging less than 23 and striking at just 91. But he remains in the side, which makes me want to ask, 'Are there double standards in the Indian team?'. Samson is dropped after very few failures, but Tilak has been consistently struggling against spin yet keeps getting picked.
Though Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is an unbelievable talent, whether he should have played at the cost of Sanju Samson is highly debatable. Even if Samson is not playing in the 11, being given a break is acceptable. But leaving him off the squad itself is harsh and shocking,” Badrinath said on his YouTube channel.
Apart from being dropped from the India XI for the last two T20Is in the England series, Samson was also ‘rested’ from the India squad that will play three T20Is in Zimbabwe later this month.
After Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's dismal first two international appearances, Badrinath also questioned whether the excitement around the young player would translate into performances.
In the second T20I against England in Manchester, the 15-year-old became the youngest Indian to play for his country. But in his two games, he hasn't been able to reach 15 runs.
"I hope we have not just hyped Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. He has had a great start and is a phenomenal hitter. But suddenly it's starting to look like Jofra Archer is sorting him out. I hope he hasn't been hyped too early because such players peak higher than others when their form is good. But the dip is also sharper for such players when the form is bad," said Badrinath.
Sooryavanshi was included in the Indian T20I squad on the back of an excellent IPL 2026, where he scored 776 runs in 16 games with a strike rate of 237, with one century and five fifties.