Dinesh Karthik Urges India to Back Sanju Samson Despite Growing Calls for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

Former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has thrown his weight behind Sanju Samson, urging the Indian team management to persist with the experienced opener despite mounting calls for teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to make his T20I debut.

The debate over India's opening combination has intensified following Samson's lean run with the bat. The wicketkeeper-batter managed just one run in the opening T20I against England, extending a sequence of low scores that has fuelled demands for the highly-rated Suryavanshi to be drafted into the playing XI.

However, Karthik believes Samson has earned the team's faith, especially after playing a pivotal role in India's triumphant ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 campaign.

"Sanju Samson has, once again,

had a bit of a failure. Now three innings on the bounce means the calls are coming nice and loud for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, but I would still say, Sanju Samson, player of the tournament in the World Cup, he is under pressure," Karthik said while speaking to Cricbuzz.

Karthik acknowledged the excitement surrounding Suryavanshi, one of India's brightest young batting prospects, but stressed that the youngster should not be rushed into the national side at the expense of a proven performer.

"I know the whole cricketing world is going to be like, 'Vaibhav Suryavanshi, when is he going to get in?' That is understandable, but I still hope they back someone like Sanju Samson, because, under pressure, in the World Cup, a few months ago, he got the job done, so we have to back him. "

"Vaibhav needs to earn the right to play in this XI even though he is extremely talented, and I have no doubt he is going to do very well in international cricket," he added.

Suryavanshi has emerged as one of the most exciting young talents in Indian cricket, with many fans eager to see the teenager make his international debut. Yet, Karthik believes patience is the better approach, insisting that established players who have delivered on the biggest stage deserve a longer rope before changes are made.

Apart from Samson, Karthik also pointed to vice-captain Tilak Varma's struggles after another subdued outing in the first T20I against England.

"Maybe Tilak Varma will feel the heat a little bit, just got a run-a-ball knock again. As a middle-order batter sometimes in England it can be very challenging and he felt it. He did not get the boundaries away," he concluded.