India vs England, 5th T20I: Before the final T20I of the series between England and India, once again it is Sanju Samson who is at the centre of all the attention. The Indian wicketkeeper, who was dropped after the first game, is expected to make a comeback in the playing XI. Samson was replaced by 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the playing XI. The teenage batter has not had the best of starts to his career and has found himself in criticism. Here is a look at the predicted playing XI for the visitors in the final game of the series as the Men in Blue aim to avoid a series loss.
IND vs ENG, 5th T20I: Will Sanju Samson play for Team India?
Sanju Samson has now watched his team suffer three defeats in a row while warming the bench. Such has been the story of the T20 World Cup 2026 player of the series’ international career that former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel feels the opener ends up consistently finding himself in the firing line. Appearing on JioHotstar, Patel said, “Why is it always Sanju Samson who misses out? If you look at Sanju Samson’s career over the last 11-12 years, the one question that has always followed him is consistency. So emotionally, yes, it was the right call to give Vaibhav Sooryavanshi a chance. But if you go purely by logic, then why has Sanju Samson been left out? So, I think this decision was taken emotionally.”
IND vs ENG, 5th T20I: Will Tilak Varma be dropped?
Tilak Varma has not had the best of times in England, having been named the vice-captain of the Indian team. The 23-year-old has scored only 51 runs in four innings, averaging only 17 while striking at a rate of 118.60 only. While it has been an overall poor tour to the United Kingdom for each of the Indian batters, it is Tilak’s strike rate that could be the reason behind his downfall.
IND vs ENG, 5th T20I: Will Ishan Kishan be dropped?
Apart from Tilak Varma, it is Ishan Kishan who has been disappointing in England. Coming off an impressive Indian Premier League, the wicketkeeper batter has scored 66 runs so far in four games. Once again, it is Kishan’s strike rate of 115 that could result in his axing from the playing XI. Given Sanju Samson can don the wicketkeeping gloves, a straight swap between him and Kishan could take place.
IND vs ENG, 5th T20I: Team India Predicted Playing XI
India national cricket team predicted playing XI: Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan / Tilak Varma, Shreyas Iyer (C), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel / Washington Sundar, Suryansh Shedge, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Arshdeep Singh
Pragun is a passionate cricket follower and writer who deeply loves the game. Having completed his education with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, he has an experience of almost two years in diverse fields. He is known for his statistical and analytical articles. Pragun tries to bring life to his articles by adding a layer of enthusiasm from the perspective of a hardcore fan. Apart from writing cricket articles, he sometimes appears on YouTube videos on a friend’s podcast.
