The Sanju Samson vs Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is back in debate again as India gear up for a five-match T20I series against West Indies on Tuesday. After winning the ODIs 2-1, India take on the Caribbean side in a five-match T20I series, the first of which starts at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.
Having starred with a Player of the Series award in Zimbabwe for the senior side, there was a huge uproar on social media about why was dropped against Afghanistan from the playing XI, and giving the preference.
With cementing his spot as an opener, the Samson-Sooryavanshi has been a taking point, despite India head coach Gautam Gambhir making it claear that the 15-year-old will have to wait for his chances. Things changed a bit during the Asian Games 2026, where both were included in the playing XI, en route to the team gold medal..
Notably, Gambhir’s former India teammate and currently the head of BCCI’s Centre of Excellence, VVS Laxman served as the India head coach for the Indian men’s cricket team at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya. But with Gambhir back in helm, Samson will pip in the playing XI.
When not in the playing XI, Sooryavanshi is being challenged by none other than , India’s bowling coach. According to the former South African pacer, Sooryavanshi needs to spend more time with the team even if he is not playing which will only be “great” for the game.
“We all know the talent of Vaibhav. The more time he spends in this environment with the quality players, the more time he trains at this standard, will only be great for his cricket,” Morkel told reporters in Lucknow on the eve of the match.
“And if he’s not getting that game time, he’s still on a bus, in the dugout, in the hotel with guys with a lot of experience. With him sharing that sort of dressing room and talking to guys, or just actually watching how the guys go through their processes and how they set up innings, will be key for him.”
“If you put guys in the right environment and they can ask the right questions and they can observe. So I always challenge them, and for any young player, if he gets game time or if that game time is a little limited, it’s still our job to make sure that these guys learn, they grow, and they ask questions,” added the tall South African, once a leading pacer.
In the , India were able to play only two matches out of scheduled three. The Shreyas Iyer-led side got the upper hand due to their better ICC T20I Team Rankings in their quarterfinal after the game against Afghanistan was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain.
In the semifinal, India skittled Sri Lanka out for just 45 runs, before pipping Pakistan in the final by 19 runs. While set the platform against Sri Lanka with a strokeful 38, the left-hander fell for just 15 runs against Pakistan in the summit clash on October 3.
