Mohammad Kaif questions Sanju Samson's selection for T20I against Afghanistan
Yahoo Sports • 1 min read • Latest: Sep 14, 2026, 3:29 PM
Last updated Sep 14, 2026
Former India batter Mohammad Kaif criticized the selection of Sanju Samson over Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for the first T20I against Afghanistan, held at Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi. While Samson scored only 10 runs and was recalled after missing the Zimbabwe tour, Sooryavanshi was named Player of the Series in Zimbabwe. Kaif highlighted that points to confusion within the Indian team's opening combination strategy. Following this, India secured a seven-wicket victory, with Abhishek Sharma contributing significantly with an 82-run performance. The second T20I is scheduled for Tuesday.
- •Vaibhav Sooryavanshi performed well but was not selected against Afghanistan.
- •India beat Afghanistan by seven wickets in the first T20I.
- •Sanju Samson scored 10 runs in his return to the team.
- •Abhishek Sharma scored 82 runs off 32 balls.
- •The second T20I match is set for Tuesday.
- 3:29 PMYahoo Sports — 'Vaibhav Sooryavanshi didn't do anything wrong': Ex-India star questions Sanju Samson's selection
"Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was among India's best performers on their recent tour of Zimbabwe. The 15-year-old was named Player of the Series after India completed a 3-0 T20I series sweep. The youngster also scored runs for East Zone in the Duleep Trophy 2026. However, he was left out of India's playing XI for the first T20I against Afghanistan.
Sources
External linksOriginal reporting and copyright belong to the linked sources. SportsNewsReport.com aggregates and links — it does not republish full articles.
Related Stories
Last 14 days
ICC T20 World Cup•Sep 12, 2026, 7:15 AM'Where will he bat?': AB de Villiers raises big Tilak Varma concern ahead of Afghanistan T20Is
ICC T20 World Cup•Sep 10, 2026, 7:30 AMVarun Chakravarthy's second act: Why India's mystery spinner still believes he's only halfway through his career
ICC T20 World Cup•Sep 8, 2026, 8:07 AMDuleep Trophy final: Ishan Kishan signals red-ball intent with mammoth 270
ICC T20 World Cup•Sep 6, 2026, 6:39 PM'Win against India damaged us a lot': Mohammad Yousuf explains Pakistan cricket's decline
ICC T20 World Cup•Sep 5, 2026, 8:14 PMWill India and Pakistan players shake hands? Revisiting the recent history ahead of Women’s Asia Cup 2026 clash- ICC T20 World Cup•Sep 5, 2026, 6:10 PMIrfan Pathan brings back viral 'Sunday' jibe as India beat Pakistan by 7 wickets in Women's Asia Cup 2026: Reason behind the famous banter revealed
