New Delhi. Indian T20 cricket is currently going through a very interesting and challenging phase. After winning the title of T20 World Cup 2026, the winning chariot of Team India which was running under the supervision of head coach Gautam Gambhir, has suddenly got a break. This change has not been easy for Shreyas Iyer, who took over the captaincy of the team after Suryakumar Yadav. Since becoming world champion, India has not been able to win even a single match. The entire champion team is almost the same, only Iyer has come in place of Suryakumar at number four. Shreyas Iyer is still waiting for his first T20 win as captain after the last match against England was washed out due to rain.
However, the pressure is not only on captain Shreyas Iyer. At present, most eyes are on Sanju Samson, who was the biggest hero of India’s third T20 World Cup win three months ago. In the last three knockout and ‘must-win’ matches of the World Cup, Samson made the team champion by playing innings of 97, 89 and 89 runs respectively. After this, while playing for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2026, he also scored two brilliant centuries. But yesterday does not matter in cricket. Samson’s bat has been completely silent on the current UK tour, where his scores have been 5, 0 and 1 runs. In such a situation, Manchester T20 has become a ‘do or die’ match for them, because a 15-year-old boy sitting on the bench is constantly knocking on the door of the playing eleven.
Second T20 is do or die for Sanju Samson.
Reliance on emotions outweighed
The easiest and most emotional decision for the Indian team management would have been to drop Samson and give in to the pressure of social media and hand the debut cap to the new sensational player. But Gautam Gambhir and his coaching staff are not known for emotional decisions. Despite three consecutive flop innings, Sanju Samson is being backed in Friday’s match. The team’s bowling coach Morne Morkel made it clear on the eve of the match that the champion players should get a longer chance. Morkel said, ‘We have to respect the fact that we have the number one batsman in T20 in the form of Abhishek Sharma. Sanju was the player of the tournament (one of the heroes) of the World Cup and he also had a great IPL. Showing confidence in our players and backing them is the right decision.
The 15 year old storm that everyone is waiting for
The most unique aspect of this whole story is 15 year old Vaibhav Suryavanshi. He has not played a single international match yet, but he remains the biggest sensation of Indian cricket. Only one question echoes with every net session and team announcement. When will Vaibhav play? And why not, his figures are like a dream.
Veterans like AB de Villiers have also advocated the inclusion of Vaibhav in the team. But Gambhir management believes that there is no hurry. Vaibhav’s competition is not against any ordinary player, but against established veterans who have won the World Cup. Before thinking about the future, India will have to fix its present. The defeat against Ireland was a big shock. If there is a defeat in Manchester also, then for the first time after 2021, India will be on the verge of losing three consecutive matches. Apart from this, the slow strike rate of Tilak Verma at number five is also a matter of concern.
Considering the pitch and weather, Team India can change the combination of three spinners in the Durham match. After keeping Washington Sundar out, fast bowler Prince Yadav may get a chance in this match, who has been praised by Morne Morkel himself.
Probable playing XI of both the teams
India
Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Verma, Shivam Dubey, Harshit Rana, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakraborty/Prince Yadav.
England
Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Harry Brook (c), Jacob Bethel, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacques, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Josh Tong.
