Will Sanju Samson replace Duleep Trophy champion Vaibhav Sooryavanshi during India vs Afghanistan 1st T20I?

The Indian cricket team returns to action in the shortest format after more than a month when the Men in Blue take on Afghanistan in a three-match T20I series at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Although the games are being played in India, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) is the host of the series. The India vs Afghanistan T20I series also serves as perfect preparation for both teams ahead of the Asian Games 2026, starting later in the month.

One of the biggest headaches for the Indian think-tank will be the opening combination with Sanju Samson making a comeback into the side after missing out in the series against Zimbabwe. The right-hander, who has been in red-hot form in the T20 World Cup and the Indian Premier League (IPL), was benched after four flop scores in Ireland and England.

The omission of Samson opened the doors for teen prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's India debut at 15. While the left-hander faltered in England, the Samastipur-born lad impressed everyone in Zimbabwe, returning with one Player of the Match and Player of the Series awards.

Will Sanju Samson make a playing XI comeback?

There is a possibility that Samson might make a return to the Indian playing XI for the first game against Afghanistan on September 13. The Indian opener worked on his fitness in the past month and batted for long during the Men in Blue's first training session in Delhi on Thursday.

The Kerala cricketer batted for 40-45 minutes and faced the likes of Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi and Shivam Dube and also worked on his wicketkeeping drills. Only 10 players named in the squad turned up for the practice session.

Notably, at a time when all the players were busy in the Duleep Trophy, Samson didn't play in the domestic season opener. Meanwhile, other opener Abhishek Sharma had a lengthy conversation with head coach Gautam Gambhir, and also had a long batting session.

Is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi likely to be benched?

The 15-year-old had a good maiden Duleep Trophy outing in Bengaluru and Chennai. Under the leadership of India teammate Ishan Kishan, Sooryavanshi faltered in the first game, before turning up the heat in the semifinal against Central Zone with scores of 92 and 40 in a winning cause.

In the final, Sooryavanshi scored 44 and 8 as East Zone reclaimed the Duleep Trophy after 13 years, owing to a first-innings lead over South Zone. With gruelling cricket for 13 long days out of 18, naturally, Sooryavanshi was among the absentees on the first day of India's practice, along with Kishan and middle-order batter Tilak Varma.

There is a huge possibility that Sooryavanshi and Kishan might be rested for the first game on Sunday against Afghanistan, to allow them some rest ahead of the Asian Games 2026. Notably, Kishan batted long hours for his knocks of 250 and 80 in the Duleep Trophy final.

In that case, Abhishek and Samson once again is likely to open the batting for India against Afghanistan. Not to forget, Abhishek is coming after playing some majestic knocks for Amritsar Soormas in the Sher-e-Punjab T20 league 2026, scoring 242 runs in five matches. India will play Afghanistan on September 13, 15 (2nd T20I) and 17 (3rd T20I).