Sanju Samson set to return? India’s likely playing XI for final T20I vs England

India will lock horns against England for the fifth and final T20I of the series on Saturday, July 11 at The Ageas Bowl in West End. Ahead of the final clash of the series, there are discussions around Sanju Samson getting back in the playing XI as the Men in Blue have already lost the series. Let's just explore the ways how Samson can appear in the playing XI without replacing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

Sanju to replace Tilak Varma?

After playing the first T20I, Sanju was replaced by teen sensation Sooryavanshi for the second game. Since then, Vaibhav has played three games and Sanju did not get a single chance. However, with the fifth T20I set to take place today, Sanju can appear in the lineup without replacing Sooryavanshi, as he can come in place of vice-captain Tilak Varma, who has not done well for the Indian team in the recent games.

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Tilak Varma, who plays at the middle order for the Indian team, has not done so well with the bat in the recent outings. In 18 outings while batting at No. 5 or lower, Varma has managed to amass only 376 runs at an average of 29 with a strike rate of 144. Considering this, there is no harm in giving Sanju a last chance to prove his worth, as he is not picked for the upcoming T20I series against Zimbabwe.

The curious case of Sanju Samson

Despite dropping a sensational performance with the bat in India's recent T20 World Cup triumph, Sanju was not given a longer rope in the shorter format of the game. It won't be wrong to say that Samson endured tough outings in the series against Ireland and England, but dropping a world class player like him on the basis of just three innings is indeed questionable.

One last chance for Sanju?

Despite getting dropped from the upcoming T20I series against Zimbabwe, Sanju will travel with the Indian team in the Asian Games 2026, where the Men in Blue will take part in the T20 competition. Despite this, Sanju must perform in the fifth T20 if given a chance to stay in the scheme of things for a long time.

India's Predicted playing XI for fifth T20I vs England:

Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Shreyas Iyer (captain), Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Prasidh Krishna