Renowned former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin feels that everyone, including head coach Gautam Gambhir and the support staff, is aware that it was wrong to bench Sanju Samson for the second Twenty20 International against England.
India lost by four wickets after scoring 190 in the match, which took place in Manchester on Saturday, July 4. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made his debut while Samson, who had only managed six runs in his preceding three innings before the second Twenty20 International, was left out of the starting XI.
During a July 6 conversation on his YouTube channel, Ashwin expressed his concern about Sanju Samson's rapid demise. Ashwin stated that the team management is aware that the decision to exclude the 31-year-old was unjustified.
Ashwin also stated that he would not be surprised if Samson is considered for the No. 3 spot, given India's current top order has three left-handers.
“Right now, I'm concerned. I'm worried because Sanju Samson has been dropped from the team so quickly. What will Sanju be thinking now? How motivated will he be when he goes to practice in the nets? At the moment, you already have three left-handers in the top order: Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, and Ishan Kishan.
Now, they will consider Sanju for No. 3, I’m telling you. Everyone knows, including the coaching staff and Gautam Gambhir, that this hasn't been fair to Sanju. So now they'll have to manage the situation somehow,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Ashwin went on to say that while teams had made difficult decisions from time to time, losing a player who had provided a good return on investment was a bigger mistake.
“See, you can't treat everybody fairly all the time. It's hard. Sometimes you have to make tough decisions. I agree with that. But in this situation, I think the bigger mistake is dropping someone who has given you a great return on investment. Sanju Samson has delivered that return on investment. Even if that stock has a few bad days, you should continue backing it, at least for an extended run," he added.
Samson was the Player of the Tournament in India’s T20 World Cup 2026 win, with 321 runs in five innings at an average of 80.25 and a strike rate of 199.38, with a best score of 97*.
Ashwin expressed concern about if social media narratives and outside noise are influencing the Indian dressing room's decision-making process.
“I'm concerned about one thing. Are social media narratives and all the outside noise finding their way into the team? Is that influencing the decision-making? That's what worries me. I've been watching cricket for a long time and have seen many leaders in the Indian team. They never allowed outside noise to enter the dressing room, and that's exactly how it should be,” Ashwin stated.
India will now return to action on Tuesday, July 7, in the third T20I, set to be played in Nottingham.
