Hanuma Vihari has used specific numbers to question why Indian selectors continue backing Abhishek Sharma while Sanju Samson, the T20 World Cup 2026 Player of the Tournament, was dropped after just three low scores. Sunil Gavaskar and Kris Srikkanth have raised the same concern independently, making it three credible voices asking the same question within days of each other.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Vihari laid out the comparison in plain terms. He pointed to Abhishek’s returns since the T20 World Cup and measured them against how Samson was treated for a similar run of low scores.
Hanuma Vihari urges selectors to show Sanju Samson the same faith they have shown in Abhishek Sharma. 🇮🇳🏏🗣️#ZIMvIND #T20Is #Harare #Sportskeeda pic.twitter.com/VSOKTE1vYe
— Sportskeeda (@Sportskeeda) July 26, 2026
“Before the World Cup, Sanju Samson did not perform in five games and lost his spot in the starting 11. He then made a comeback and became player of the tournament. In that same tournament, how many runs did Abhishek Sharma make? In the UK series, apart from one fifty, there were no scores at all. Not even 20s and 30s, no significant score. One fifty in the last eight matches. If you include the World Cup, three half-centuries in the last 18 matches.”
Hanuma Vihari, YouTube channel (Hanuma Vihari’s PowerPlay)
The numbers Vihari cited are not opinion. Abhishek scored 89 runs in seven T20 World Cup innings at an average of 12.71, which included three consecutive ducks. In the away series against Ireland and England, India lost six out of seven matches. Abhishek’s contributions outside of one fifty were 43, 10, 16, 3, and single-digit scores. In the Zimbabwe T20I series in Harare, his returns dropped further: 1 off 8 balls, 8 off 8 balls, and 2 off 4 balls. Dismissed by Blessing Muzarabani in all three innings.
Samson, by contrast, was dropped from India’s squad for the Zimbabwe series after scores of 5, 0, and 1 in Ireland and England. No official explanation came from chief selector Ajit Agarkar or the BCCI. According to ESPNcricinfo, the selectors treated Zimbabwe as a fringe series and wanted to give exposure to Prabhsimran Singh. But the batting unit from the England series was retained almost entirely. Samson alone was cut.
Gavaskar has been making a similar argument since the T20 World Cup itself. Before the final against New Zealand in March, he publicly called for Abhishek to be dropped and identified a recurring technical flaw that bowlers were exploiting.
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“It’s a very tough call. Abhishek Sharma is the No. 1 batter in the ICC T20 rankings, but he hasn’t learned from his dismissals. He keeps getting out in the same region where his arms are cramped for room. Bowlers are targeting that area and forcing mistakes. My concern is that he either hasn’t adjusted yet or is unable to change his approach.”
Sunil Gavaskar, India Today, March 2026
India ignored that advice. Abhishek played the World Cup final and scored a match-winning 18-ball fifty against New Zealand. But the broader pattern Gavaskar flagged has not changed. In 18 T20I innings since the World Cup, three half-centuries and a string of single-digit failures. The same dismissal pattern, the same region, the same technical issue that Gavaskar identified months ago.
During the Zimbabwe T20I series, Gavaskar continued his criticism on commentary, with his remarks on Abhishek’s form becoming a talking point among cricket fans on social media.
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What Vihari and Gavaskar are both pointing at is a specific technical problem. Abhishek’s bat path when he tries to hit through the line early in his innings leaves him cramped against bowling that targets the corridor just outside off stump with pace and bounce. In IPL conditions, smaller grounds, flat pitches, and the impact player rule give him room to recover from mistimed shots. In international cricket, against bowlers like Muzarabani who hit the right length consistently, that recovery does not exist. The ball that cramps him for room in Harare or Manchester is the same ball that disappears for six at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. That is the gap Vihari is talking about when he says the numbers tell the real story.
The selection question goes deeper than just two players. Every time Samson’s name comes up in Indian cricket, it comes with the same pattern. He performs, he earns his place, he has a short lean patch, and he is removed. If Samson fails in two or three innings and gets dropped, who is responsible for creating that cycle? The selectors who cut him, or the system that never gave him the same patience Abhishek receives? Without Samson’s 97 against West Indies, his 89 in the semi-final against England, and his 89 in the final against New Zealand, India does not win that World Cup. Three consecutive knockout match-winning innings from a player who was sitting on the bench two weeks earlier. That is not a player who deserves to be measured by three low scores on a difficult away tour.
What Did Kris Srikkanth Say About Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson?
Former India captain and ex-chief selector Kris Srikkanth added his voice to the criticism after Abhishek’s second failure in the Zimbabwe T20I series. Srikkanth did not hold back in drawing a direct comparison between how the two players have been treated by the current selection panel.
“From the World Cup, his international track record has not been very good except for a few knocks. Samson was the MVP of the World Cup. Why does he not get the chance, and Abhishek gets chances like this? It is a very valid question. Abhishek is getting a long rope; then why not Samson? Why is this happening with one player and not with the other?”
Kris Srikkanth, YouTube channel (Cheeky Cheeka), July 2026
Srikkanth’s comment carries particular weight because he served as India’s chief selector from 2008 to 2012. He understands how selection committees operate from the inside. His question is not whether Abhishek is talented. It is whether the same yardstick is being applied to both players. Samson scored 321 runs in the T20 World Cup 2026, the most by any Indian batter in a men’s T20 World Cup, going past Virat Kohli’s 319 in 2014. He was named Player of the Tournament. Four months later, three low scores were enough for the selectors to remove him from the squad entirely.
Abhishek, in the same period, has struggled with a technical weakness that multiple experts have identified publicly. His returns in the Zimbabwe series confirmed what Vihari, Gavaskar, and Srikkanth have all said in different ways. The numbers do not justify the rope. And the player who earned his place with match-winning performances on the biggest stage is watching from home.
India’s selection decisions have faced repeated scrutiny in recent months. The question Vihari, Gavaskar, and Srikkanth are all asking is not about choosing between two players. It is about whether Indian cricket has a consistent standard for measuring performance, or whether some players receive patience that others are never given.
Also Read:
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- Ashwin on Gambhir and Sanju Samson
- Aakash Chopra on Sanju Samson
- Morne Morkel Backs Sanju Samson
- India Zimbabwe T20 Squad
- Abhishek Sharma Fastest Indian T20I Fifty vs England
- Ashwin on Gambhir and Player Security in India
- Ashwin on Buttler and Musical Chairs in India
- Karthik on Gambhir Agarkar and Players
- India’s Biggest T20I Defeat
- VVS Laxman India Coach for Zimbabwe
