Former India batter Subramaniam Badrinath has raised questions over India’s T20I team selection, saying there appears to be a difference in how certain players are judged. He wondered why Tilak Varma continues to get chances despite his struggles against spin, while Sanju Samson was dropped after just three poor scores in the England series and was later left out of the Zimbabwe tour as well.

Samson was India’s Player of the Tournament during their victorious 2026 T20 World Cup campaign, while Tilak also played an important role. However, both have found it difficult to maintain that form since then. Samson has been dismissed for low scores and has looked uncomfortable against pace, whereas Tilak has repeatedly struggled to score against spin without showing much improvement.

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Subramaniam Badrinath for Samson's Omission

To help Tilak, the team management has mostly used him as a finisher so that he faces fewer overs of spin. But in the third T20I against England, he came in soon after the powerplay and looked far from comfortable, which has also sparked debate over his appointment as India’s vice-captain.

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Badrinath on Sooryavanshi's inclusion

Badrinath also questioned India’s decision to bring in young opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi at the expense of Samson. While he praised the teenager’s talent, he felt Samson’s complete omission from the Zimbabwe squad was difficult to justify.

India are currently 2-0 down in the five-match T20I series and will look to stay alive when they face England in the fourth T20I on Thursday.