Former India batter Robin Uthappa has strongly criticised the decision to leave Sanju Samson out of India’s squad for the upcoming T20I series against Zimbabwe, questioning the consistency of the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee after the wicketkeeper-batter’s standout role in India’s 2026 T20 World Cup triumph.

Samson was named Player of the Tournament after producing three consecutive match-winning half-centuries in the knockout stages, a run that played a major part in India’s title-winning campaign. Yet, despite that achievement, the selectors opted for Ishan Kishan and Prabhsimran Singh as the two wicketkeeping options for the Zimbabwe series, while 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who had earlier been handed a debut in Samson’s place, was retained in the squad.

Samson’s short lean patch after the World Cup, which included three successive single-digit scores, appears to have weighed heavily against him. Robin Uthappa, however, believes the reaction has been far too severe and does not reflect the kind of trust a proven match-winner should receive.

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“When I first saw the squad, I genuinely thought it was one of those fan-made teams circulating online because Sanju’s name wasn’t there. Then I realised it was the actual squad, and my first thought was: how long are you going to keep treating one player like this? It just doesn’t feel right,” Robin Uthappa said on his YouTube channel.

The former opener argued that Samson has been judged more harshly than others despite delivering under pressure on the biggest stage. In Uthappa’s view, a player who helped India win a World Cup just a few months ago should not be pushed aside so quickly for a couple of failures.

“Here’s a player who helped win you a World Cup just four months ago. Maybe he has been told he’s being rested, but does someone deserve to be left out because of two first-ball dismissals and another low score? That doesn’t make sense to me. It feels like the decisions are becoming reactive instead of being part of a clear plan,” he added.

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Samson remains part of India’s Asian Games squad for now, although reports suggest that even that selection could be reviewed. Robin Uthappa also questioned what more the Kerala star needs to do to earn long-term security in the side, pointing out that a Player of the Tournament should not have his place debated so soon after a title-winning performance.

India will face England in the third T20I on Tuesday.