IND vs WI: Ravichandran Ashwin opens up on Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi selection battle

There is currently a fascinating race for the opening batting slot in the T20I format. On one side is Sanju Samson, who won the 'Player of the Tournament' award during the 2026 T20 World Cup victory just a few months ago, while on the other is 15-year-old sensational batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Management faces a tough choice between two fan favorites, as current constraints allow them to field only one player.

However, the issue is that both batsmen have been somewhat inconsistent, which keeps this debate alive. Now, former spinner Ravi Ashwin has weighed in on this matter. According to him, Sanju Samson has been doing enough to keep Vaibhav Sooryavanshi on the bench. 

Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said that, given Abhishek Sharma’s current form, selectors can’t drop him. In such a situation, it will be a one-on-one battle between Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. 

“He is a fabulous player. He will keep learning little by little. And what I am seeing as a big positive is that he has been scoring runs on difficult wickets over the last two or three months. This tells me that his graph is moving upwards. He is not stagnating, nor is he going down. So, Abhishek Sharma is a fabulous player, and I have a lot of time for him. I always enjoy watching him play because of his style, grace, and timing. He makes it look so easy.” 

In the same discussion, Ravichandran Ashwin also praises Abhishek Sharma’s adaptability in recent times. He said that Abhishek is batting really well now, even when conditions are tough.

“Abhishek Sharma has shown me a lot of things over the last two months that demonstrate his adaptability. Even in Japan, the wicket was not that easy, but he batted really well. The same was true here in Indore. The wicket was not particularly easy, but he batted well.” 

Team India is currently hosting West Indies in a 5-match T20I series. So far, a total of 3 matches have been played. Men in Blue are currently leading the series 2-1. The hosts won the Lucknow and Indore T20Is, while the visitors made a tremendous bounce-back in the Ranchi T20I. Both teams are heading to Hyderabad for the fourth T20I.