Sanju Samson’s absence from India’s playing XI in the second and third T20Is against England left fans puzzled and triggered widespread discussion on social media. After opening the innings in the first match, the wicketkeeper-batter was left out as 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was handed his India debut on July 4.

The debate grew even stronger when Samson was also not included in India’s T20I squad for the upcoming Zimbabwe tour. His back-to-back omissions led to questions about his place in India’s plans and whether his future in the shortest format was under threat.

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Why Samson benched in T20Is vs England

While many believed Samson had been dropped because of his poor form, a report by Cricbuzz has presented a different picture.

According to the report, Samson was not forced out of the XI. Instead, it is believed that he voluntarily stepped aside to make way for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s much-awaited international debut.

The report says this is one of the versions being discussed by people who are aware of what happened within the Indian camp. However, neither the BCCI nor the team management has officially confirmed this claim.

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Samson has found runs hard to come by in recent T20Is, registering single-digit scores in his last three innings. Even so, the report suggests that his reported decision to sit out reflected his confidence in the team management and its long-term vision.

It also states that the selectors and coaches continue to view Samson as part of India’s future T20I plans despite his recent struggles with the bat.

As things stand, there is still no official explanation behind Samson’s absence from the playing XI.

Coming back to the third T20I, India captain Shreyas Iyer has won the toss and opted to bowl against England. England are featuring with the same playing XI and India made one change as Prince Yadav comes in place of Ravi Bishnoi.

India vs England playing XIs

England Playing XI: Philip Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Harry Brook (c), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue.

India (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Prince Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy