It’s natural to feel that Sanju Samson was treated unfairly. Whether he was rested or dropped from the India vs Zimbabwe T20I series isn’t relevant. The fact of the matter is, he won’t be playing, and someone will have the opportunity to showcase what they can do.
One can’t forget that in 2024, Samson only returned to the team because Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal were rested to manage their workload for Test cricket. It’s almost as if history is repeating itself. And Prabhsimran Singh has the chance to replicate what Samson did to Gill and Jaiswal.
Prabhsimran Singh ready to cash chance
The wicket-keeper batter from Punjab realises how big and rare this opportunity is. It’s extremely difficult to break into the Indian team as a batter at the moment. But the 25-year-old has managed to do that after solid performances for India A, in domestic cricket and the Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
3 years ago, Prabhsimran earned his maiden India call-up. A second-string team was sent for the Asian Games 2023. Ruturaj Gaikwad was named captain, but he didn’t get a chance to make his debut. Now, he does. Prabhsimran just doesn’t want to travel to Zimbabwe but play and make his mark.
“If I am going there (to Zimbabwe), I don’t want to come back (without playing). I have always thought that I have to represent the country, but I have to sustain myself there too. That is the only thing in my mind. If I get a chance, I will do my best so that I don’t go out of the team,” Prabhsimran told PTI.
Working with Yuvraj Singh
The keeper-batter wasn’t satisfied with a great IPL 2026 season – 510 runs at 42.50 with a strike rate of 168.87. He went to work. The player from Punjab contacted his mentor, Yuvraj Singh, after he earned the Zimbabwe call-up and had a chat about being prepared for international cricket.
“I have not had a session with Yuvi paaji (Yuvraj Singh) post-IPL, but I did call him after the India selection. It was a long phone call. He shared his experience of playing at the highest level. He always tells me to stay one step ahead of the bowler,” he added.
India squad for Zimbabwe T20I series
Shreyas Iyer (c), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma (vc), Ishan Kishan (wk), Shivam Dube, Suryansh Shedge, Rinku Singh, Harsh Dubey, Varun Chakaravarathy, Prince Yadav, Yash Thakur, Ashok Sharma, Mayank Yadav, Prabhsimran Singh (wk)
Cricket
Sanju Samson steps away from Kerela Cricket League after retention snub
