Former India batter Ajinkya Rahane believes India should leave Vaibhav Sooryavanshi out of the playing XI for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan. Rahane feels Sanju Samson deserves another opportunity to open alongside Abhishek Sharma and establish himself in the role.

India have frequently changed their top order since the 2026 T20 World Cup. The combination of Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan proved highly effective during India’s title-winning campaign, but Samson was dropped after a difficult run in the UK.

Fifteen-year-old Sooryavanshi was handed his international debut in England but struggled to make an impact across three matches. He subsequently made way for Samson, who returned for the final T20I against England.

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However, Samson was then left out of India’s T20I squad for the Zimbabwe tour, with the BCCI describing his absence as being “rested”. The Asian Games squad has since been retained for the Afghanistan series, leaving both Samson and Sooryavanshi available for selection. Rahane believes India should return to the combination that delivered success at the T20 World Cup.

“I feel the top 3 who played in the World Cup should be the top 3. Sanju Samson did very well. After that, he was dropped — maybe two or three bad innings — but after that, he was dropped. But I want Sanju Samson to get another chance.” He added: “Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan, who did well for us, should get chances. Sooryavanshi will get his chance; his time will come. But for now, I feel the top 3 should be Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, and Ishan Kishan.”

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India and Afghanistan are scheduled to play three T20Is on September 13, 15 and 17 at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. The short turnaround could also influence selection. Kishan and Sooryavanshi recently featured in the Duleep Trophy final and will have limited time to switch from red-ball cricket to the T20I format ahead of the series.