Vaibhav Sooryavanshi dropped after 3 matches: Sanju Samson returns for India vs England 5th T20I at Southampton

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was dropped after scoring 42 runs across his first three T20Is, with Sanju Samson returning to the India XI for the fifth and final match against England at Southampton’s Rose Bowl. India are already down 0–3 in the five-match series and are also seeking their first win on the UK tour after losing 0–2 to Ireland. Sooryavanshi’s early outputs—14, 13 and 15—left little margin for error, and his most recent innings ended quickly when Jofra Archer forced a tame catch. Samson had previously been removed after scores of 5, 0 and 1 versus Ireland and England. The recall also aims to restore left-right balance at the top order, giving Shreyas Iyer the batting structure he lacked during a demanding tour. India began Southampton after five straight T20I defeats, with the world champions facing a potential first-ever whitewash in a series of this length.