Former Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has expressed concerns regarding the selectors’ decision to exclude Sanju Samson from Zimbabwe T20Is. Ashwin said the eventual loser will be Indian cricket after Samson could not find a place for the three-match series.

The Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel has picked a plethora of new players but Samson found no place in the team. Samson was also dropped from the second T20I against England as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made his much-awaited debut.

The Kerala batter has returned with scores of 5, 0 and 1 in the last three T20I innings and thus the pressure was building on him. However, Samson was the star of the show in the 2026 T20 World Cup, scoring 321 runs in five matches at a strike rate of almost 200 and was awarded Player of the tournament.

Furthermore, Samson had a decent run in IPL 2026, scoring 477 runs for Chennai Super Kings in 14 matches.

“Sanju played a brilliant knock in the T20 World Cup. After that, he smashed it for CSK in the IPL this year. I haven’t seen him this consistent before. He was in great phase so I felt this was a bit harsh. I have been saying this for a long time. It’s not about Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. I don’t know when we will understand this. I am a big fan of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. He will play and no one can stop him. What’s the hurry?,” Ashwin said on his YouTube Channel.

“Two players who are doing well in the team ethos. If we show a lack of confidence like that, all the other players in the team will think that they are next. If they know they are the next, why will they play at a higher strike rate? They will knock them out. If they have to score 50 in 25 balls, they will score in 32 balls. The eventual loser will be Team India,” he added.

The third T20I between England and India will be played at Nottingham on Tuesday.