Dinesh Karthik questions Sanju Samson's place in India's T20I plans

Former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has questioned Sanju Samson's inconsistent place in India's T20I plans despite his T20 World Cup 2026 heroics. Karthik raised concerns over batting order and squad selection ahead of the Afghanistan series.

Samson lasted just eight balls in the first T20I against Afghanistan, scoring 10 runs. The 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was omitted from the playing XI despite his recent form against Zimbabwe.

Shreyas Iyer said the selection call between openers was tight ahead of the series opener at Arun Jaitley Stadium. India won the toss and elected to bowl first in the opening match.