'Hope he comes back strong': Ex-CSK star sides with Sanju Samson amid Vaibhav Sooryavanshi hype
‘Hope he comes back strong’: Ex-CSK star sides with Sanju Samson amid Vaibhav Sooryavanshi hype originally appeared on Cricket News.
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KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Ambati Rayudu urges fans to spare a thought for Sanju Samson amid Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s debut celebrations.
- Samson dropped after scoring just 1 run in three consecutive low scores.
- Sooryavanshi makes history as the youngest Indian international, but India lose second T20I.
Ambati Rayudu shows compassion for Sanju Samson as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi steals the headlines
Former Chennai Super Kings stalwart Ambati Rayudu has called on cricket fans to remember Sanju Samson’s T20 World Cup brilliance even as the spotlight swung entirely towards Vaibhav Sooryavanshi following the teenager’s historic debut at Old Trafford on Saturday.
The speed of Samson’s fall from grace has been jarring. Just three T20Is after being named Player of the Tournament at the T20 World Cup, one of the highest individual honours in the sport, the wicketkeeper-batter found himself watching from the dugout as a 15-year-old took his place in the batting order.
Samson’s scores in the preceding matches had been difficult reading, and a single run from seven balls in the opening T20I against England was enough to convince the team management that a change was needed.
MORE: Shattering history: Where Sooryavanshi ranks among India’s youngest international debutants
BCCI/Creimas
Ambati Rayudu bats for left-out Sanju Samson
Rayudu took to X to make sure Samson wasn’t entirely lost in the noise of Sooryavanshi’s arrival. While clearly delighted about the teenager’s debut, the former CSK batter was keen to ensure some perspective was maintained.
Rayudu wrote: “Let’s spare a thought for Sanju Samson… very happy to see Vaibhav make his debut, and it deserves a celebration, but let’s not forget that Sanju was the man of the tournament in the T20 World Cup just 3 T20 games ago.
“I just hope he comes back strong and also wish Vaibhav a very long and record-shattering career.”
Let’s spare a thought for Sanju Samson.. very happy to see Vaibhav make his debut and it deserves a celebration but let’s not forget that Sanju was the man of the tournament in the t20 worldcup just 3 t20 games ago. I just hope he comes back strong and also wish Vaibhav a very…
— ATR (@RayuduAmbati) July 5, 2026
MORE: Iyer sets unwanted record in Manchester as India go down 1-0 against England
How did Vaibhav Sooryavanshi perform on his India debut?
Sooryavanshi’s first international appearance lasted all of ten balls, but those ten balls were enough to give a sense of what all the fuss is about. Sooryavanshi launched two sixes before being stumped for 14 by Will Jacks.
The debut made him the youngest cricketer ever to represent India, surpassing a record held by Sachin Tendulkar. Despite the history-making nature of the evening, India ultimately came up short, with England chasing 191 with four wickets to spare and moving 1-0 up in the five-match series.
With the opening game washed out and England now leading 1-0, the arithmetic is firmly against India. England need just two more wins to seal the series, while India must take each of the remaining three matches to flip the contest in their favour.
The Bigger Picture: Samson will not be forgotten so soon
From emerging as the Player of the Tournament in the T20 World Cup to being dropped in three games is a brutal turnaround, and Rayudu’s intervention was timely and fair.
The debate around Sooryavanshi’s debut was long overdue, but it shouldn’t have come at the cost of wiping out everything Samson achieved just a few months earlier.
Samson deserves the chance to fight back, and the team management should give it to him at the earliest opportunity.
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