IND vs SA: Fans furious as India drop Sanju Samson in first T20I against South Africa

The selection choices for the first T20 International between India And South Africa at the Barabati Stadium sparked a storm of criticism, excluding the famous wicketkeeper Sanju Samson leaving fans and pundits furious. The team management’s decision to stick with the combination that concluded the recent Australian series, notably retaining Jitesh Sharma as the first-choice glovemaker, has been widely criticized as a step backwards in the crucial preparation for the T20 World Cup 2026.

India dumps Sanju Samson by sticking to recent pattern

The Indian XI, led by Suryakumar Yadavsaw the return of a key and versatile player Hardik Pandya and opener Shubman Gilbut otherwise retained the main group from the previous series. This meant there was no room for Samson, nor for Spinner. Kuldeep Yadavthe team management reportedly favored Jitesh’s finishing abilities in the lower-middle order.

Samson, who was previously at the top of the order before the return of vice-captain Gill, has since struggled to consolidate his position in the middle order, a situation which captain Suryakumar has previously acknowledged as a “good headache” for the team.

India (Game XI): Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma(w), Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh.

Also READ: India’s initial conundrum intensifies as Suryakumar Yadav clarifies roles of Sanju Samson and Shubman Gill ahead of South Africa T20Is

Samson’s omission, especially in a critical series meant to finalize the squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, did not sit well with the vast majority of fans. Social media platforms have been flooded with angry posts and trending hashtags, with many lambasting the BCCI and the team management for what they perceive as inconsistent and unfair treatment of the talented Kerala cricketer.

Here’s how fans reacted:

So the guy who scored two T20I centuries against South Africa the last time we played them… had to sit on the bench now 🙂

We really have the impression that the system continues to support certain players regardless of their form, while those who really deserve it don’t always get the same trust or… pic.twitter.com/1EP8rBFQDx

– Sanju Samson Fan Page (@SanjuSamsonFP) December 9, 2025

– End of Ishan’s career to open in ODI
– End of Jaiswal’s career to open in T20
– Virat forced to withdraw from Test to play 4-a-side
– End of Rohit’s captaincy career
– End of Sanjuu Samson’s opening street

Just to choke me in every crucial match, Prince Shubman Gill for you pic.twitter.com/W7UeirJbMs

– ADITYA (@Wxtreme10) December 9, 2025

The T20 World Cup is just around the corner and like always, the politics against Sanju Samson has begun.

I will never forgive Gill for stealing Sanju Samson’s place in the Indian team🥲 pic.twitter.com/EEXsJh8rj3

– Le Brevis (@Ben10Brevis) December 9, 2025

🤯 **Sanju Samson on the bench for the 1st T20I vs SA? Seriously?**

With the T20 World Cup approaching, how can India ignore a player in this form, just for the sake of ‘flexibility’?

Highlights of the SMAT 2025 campaign:
✅ **233 executions at an average of 58.25** (over 6 games)
🔥 Scores of **73* (56), 51*… pic.twitter.com/DwAB3SHvEy

– Dipankar (@DipankarRish) December 9, 2025

🚨 POLITICS WINS LOST CRICKET 🚨

Politician Gautam Gambhir and vacationer Ajit Agarkar succeeded in destroying Sanju Samson’s career

– First, they removed Sanju from the opening
– Then they dropped him, and in the next series they will also remove him from the teampic.twitter.com/m5P8v0qhLk

– Mr. Stranger (@mrstranger005) December 9, 2025

I waited all day to watch Sanju Samson bat in the evening.

God watches over everything Gautam Gambhir and Surya Kumar Yadav.pic.twitter.com/JpUqVrRk1W

-Dhruv Thakur (@Dhruv_Thakur___) December 9, 2025

Shubman Gill has not even crossed the 50 mark in 13 innings this year.

You can buy sold-out journalists like @rohitjuglan and run all the negative PR you want on underprivileged people like Sanju Samson who scored the most hundreds in a calendar year, but that doesn’t score points for you. pic.twitter.com/QSZD2ijY8f

-Anurag™ (@Samsoncentral) December 9, 2025

Every time I see Sanju Samson fall under the leadership of Gautam Gambhir, my brain instantly goes back to all the tweets he posted. 🫣 pic.twitter.com/ftYzn1EYbX

– Vipin Tiwari (@Vpintiwari952) December 9, 2025

Justice for Sanju Samson, he is not playing today pic.twitter.com/0iHRm75AwD

– Chinmay Shah (@chinmayshah28) December 9, 2025

Gautam Gambhir dropped Sanju Samson for this failure of T20 player Shubhman Gill 🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/T0dXdZEIl6

— ` (@Itz_Bl3ze) December 9, 2025

-Won the CEAT Men’s T20I Batter of the Year a few months ago.
-WC to come and still not in the XI.

If your name is Sanju Samson, that’s totally normal.

God is watching @GautamGambhir pic.twitter.com/tALI2vjydD

-Anurag™ (@Samsoncentral) December 9, 2025

No Sanju Samson playing 11 for today’s match can imagine Shubman Gill and Jitesh Sharma playing in front of Sanju Samson.

Shame on you Hong Kong Yadav and Gautam Gambhir.

-Dhruv Thakur (@Dhruv_Thakur___) December 9, 2025

Sanju scores 3 hundreds in 10 innings as opener🔥
Gill has 0 fifties in 13 innings 💩

The favoritism is so strong that even the scoreboard is embarrassed.🤡

Sanju Samson >>>>>>>>>>> Shubman Gill pic.twitter.com/JhyWrYotUw

– 𝙇𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙮 (@luckycsk7) December 9, 2025

SKY and Shubman Gill have been failing in T20i for ages. They even struggled throughout the Asian Cup and its final. Yet it only took one bad match to bring down Sanju Samson. SKY has at least played for India in the past, but Gill is becoming the new pants in T20Is. https://t.co/GYr31Rm8m6 pic.twitter.com/FzRoO2suke

– JJ (@JJhuMaybe) December 9, 2025

Sanju Samson was dropped after joining CSK, you can’t convince me he doesn’t hate CSK players. pic.twitter.com/N3vHoi0Tjh

— ` (@Itz_Bl3ze) December 9, 2025

ALSO READ: IND vs SA: 3 Indian players who can trouble South Africa in the T20I series