Why is Sanju Samson not playing in IND vs PAK T20 World Cup 2026 clash?
India dropped Sanju Samson for their key T20 World Cup 2026 clash against Pakistan at the R Premadasa Stadium, bringing in Abhishek Sharma as they chase a third straight win to reach the Super Eight. Samson scored just 22 on his only chance he got in the World Cup 2026.
Sanju Samson missed out as India take on Pakistan in their crucial T20 World Cup 2026 clash at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. India, the T20 defending champions, look for their third consecutive win in the tournament as they bid to book their spot in the Super Eight stage.
Meanwhile, Samson lost his place to Abhishek Sharma as India made two changes to their team for the fixture. The right-handed Kerala batter had made his T20 World Cup debut against Namibia when Sharma missed out due to his stomach bug. He scored a fiery but short cameo of 22 from eight balls with three sixes and a four, but he could not make the most of the chance.
Why is Samson not playing in IND vs PAK T20 World Cup clash?
Samson missed out on playing the clash as Abhishek Sharma has made his way back into the Indian team after recovering from his illness. India skipper Suryakumar Yadav confirmed two changes for the clash against the Men in Green, with Kuldeep Yadav coming in for Arshdeep Singh as the second change. India were asked to bat first after Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha won the toss and opted to bowl.
"Not at all, we were looking to bat first. We won the last two games defending, so we don't want to change it. It is an occasion, it's a high-stakes game. This sport teaches you a lot of things; any side can win the game on a given day. Two changes. Abhishek Sharma comes in, and Kuldeep Yadav is in for Arshdeep Singh," India captain Suryakumar Yadav said at the toss.
SKY had dropped hint of Abhishek coming in for Samson earlier
SKY had hinted the same in the pre-match press conference on the eve of the game. Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha hoped for Abhishek to recover and play the clash as he wants a full-strength Indian line-up. Suryakumar was also asked whether the hard-hitting opener would recover in time for the fixture after having missed the previous match against Namibia due to a stomach bug. "If Pak wants us to play Abhishek, then done. He will play tomorrow,” Suryakumar said on the eve of the game.
India (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah
Pakistan (Playing XI): Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Agha(c), Babar Azam, Mohammad Nawaz, Usman Khan(w), Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq
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