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‘Vaibhav Sooryavanshi didn’t do anything wrong’: Ex-India star questions Sanju Samson’s selection | Cricket News

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'Vaibhav Sooryavanshi didn't do anything wrong': Ex-India star questions Sanju Samson's selection
Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (Image credit: Agencies)

Former India batter Mohammad Kaif has questioned India’s decision to pick Sanju Samson ahead of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for the first T20I against Afghanistan.Samson returned to the Indian team but managed only 10 runs off nine balls as India beat Afghanistan by seven wickets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Sunday.Sooryavanshi was among India’s best performers on their recent tour of Zimbabwe. The 15-year-old was named Player of the Series after India completed a 3-0 T20I series sweep.The youngster also scored runs for East Zone in the Duleep Trophy 2026. However, he was left out of India’s playing XI for the first T20I against Afghanistan.

Samson over Sooryavanshi

India had to choose between Sooryavanshi and Samson after the latter returned to the squad. Samson had missed the Zimbabwe tour and was also dropped from the playing XI midway through the series in England.Samson opened the innings with Abhishek Sharma against Afghanistan. The pair added 18 runs in 2.1 overs before Azmatullah Omarzai dismissed Samson.

Kaif questions Samson’s selection

Kaif questioned the decision to pick Samson over Sooryavanshi, especially as Samson had not played competitive cricket after being left out of India’s squad for the Zimbabwe tour.“What did Sanju do to play the first T20I? When you are dropped from the team, you play in different tournaments to return to form, but nothing like that happened in Samson’s case. Why didn’t you opt for the Abhishek and Suryavanshi combination after the young batter did well in Zimbabwe? They are not sure about their best opening combination. The Indian team is still thinking about their openers. Vaibhav must have felt bad as he didn’t do anything wrong. This could lead to confusion, which is not good for any team,” Kaif said on Cricbuzz.The former India cricketer also felt the decision showed that the team management was still unsure about its preferred opening combination.“In my opinion, they are hesitating a bit; they are unsure of what their best opening combination is. The Indian team are still thinking about it. Vaibhav must be saying what did I do wrong? So this is a state of confusion going on, there is no doubt about it,” he added.

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Sanju Samson under pressure after another low score

Samson has struggled for runs since India’s 2026 T20 World Cup final. He has scored 43 runs at an average of 8.60 since then. He was expected to play in the Kerala Cricket League after being dropped from the national team but opted out at the last moment due to personal reasons.The Kerala batter had also scored only 33 runs in four innings before the Afghanistan series.With Sooryavanshi waiting for an opportunity, Samson will be under pressure to score runs and retain his place at the top of the order.

Abhishek Sharma powers India to victory

India, however, made a strong start to the Afghanistan series with a seven-wicket victory.After restricting Afghanistan to 156/8, Abhishek Sharma smashed 82 off 32 balls to lead India’s chase. The hosts reached the target in just 13.4 overs. Ishan Kishan also made an important contribution after overcoming a minor back injury scare during training. He scored 42 off 33 balls, with five fours and a six.Abhishek’s aggressive knock also helped him answer questions about his recent form.India and Afghanistan will face each other in the second T20I on Tuesday.

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Chelsea’s Clean Sheet Worry Deepens After 20 Games Without One

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Chelsea’s defensive problems continued as they were held to a 2-2 draw by promoted Hull City at Stamford Bridge.

Despite scoring twice through Morgan Rogers and Joao Pedro, the Blues once again failed to keep a clean sheet, extending their unwanted run to 20 consecutive Premier League matches without one.

Rogers gave Chelsea an early lead in the seventh minute, continuing the club’s fast starts this season. The £117 million signing from Aston Villa moved past Matt Crooks before firing into the bottom corner.

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But Chelsea’s defence soon let them down.

Jorrel Hato switched off in the 28th minute, allowing Mohamed Belloumi to meet Ryan Giles’ cross and volley Hull level.

The visitors then turned the game around before half-time. After Semi Ajayi’s header hit the crossbar, Oli McBurnie reacted quickly and the ball eventually fell to Belloumi, whose effort took deflections off Levi Colwill and Reece James before finding the net.

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Chelsea had chances to respond, but Hull goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis stood firm.

Joao Pedro eventually rescued a point for Chelsea in the 66th minute, curling a powerful left-footed finish into the near corner after Cole Palmer delivered a dangerous low cross.

The Blues pushed for a winner late on, with Palmer, James and Rogers all coming close. However, Hull survived to take a valuable point from Stamford Bridge.

The result leaves Chelsea fourth in the Premier League, while Hull remain an impressive third.

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But for Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso, the biggest concern will once again be at the back.

Twenty Premier League games without a clean sheet is now the reality for Chelsea, highlighting a defensive problem that Alonso will need to solve quickly if the Blues are to challenge at the top end of the table.

Chelsea may be scoring goals, but until they learn how to stop conceding them, every match will continue to feel like a fight.

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3 Reasons why Dominik Mysterio lost his AAA Mega Championship to El Grande Americano

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Dominik Mysterio defended his AAA Mega Championship against El Grande Americano in the main event of TripleMania 34 Night Two. After weeks of bad blood, the two finally settled their differences inside the squared circle, with the biggest prize in AAA Lucha Libre on the line.

Americano kicked off the match at a pace, but “Dirty” Dom gained momentum midway, making the bout more competitive.

Mysterio soon introduced the title belt to inflict serious damage on Americano. But things went El Grande’s way, as he introduced weapons himself.

Seeing the title slipping from Dominik’s hand, JD McDonagh appeared and attacked Americano, but Los Americanos ran in to take out JD. Omos also showed up to help Mysterio, but El Grande managed to put the Nigerian Giant away with a low blow.

In the final moments of the match, El Grande Americano accidentally knocked out the referee. Seizing the opportunity, Mysterio attempted to hit El Grande with the title. However, Americano recovered in time and executed his finisher on Dirty Dom.

Despite being banged up from his match against Omos on night one, Rey Mysterio ran in as a special guest referee. He counted three, and Dominik did not kick out, and a brand-new AAA Mega Champion was crowned

In this article, we will take a look at three reasons why Dominik Mysterio lost his AAA Mega Championship to El Grande Americano:

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#3. Nothing left in Dominik Mysterio’s reign

Dominik Mysterio’s reign as the AAA Mega Champion ended after 366 days at TripleMania 34 Night Two. During his lengthy reign, he defended the strap three times, which is not a good look for AAA’s major championship, and Dirty Dom didn’t have much else to offer as the Mega Champion.

Therefore, AAA’s Creative may have decided to finally take the title off The Judgment Day member and put it on a hungrier star who has something new to offer as champion.

#2. To have a dedicated champion

Dominik Mysterio is primarily a WWE Superstar; he features on Monday Night RAW more often and makes only surprise appearances at AAA Lucha Libre.

The brand crowned Dirty Dom AAA Mega Champion to get eyeballs on the product, and with his 350-plus-day reign, Dominik has made the strap more popular with a larger number of fans.

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AAA may have thus shifted its focus to getting a more dedicated champion for the brand, and El Grande Americano has been the top guy for quite some time. Americano could defend the title more often and represent the belt better, even on the weekly shows.

#1. WWE might have other plans for Dominik Mysterio

Now that “Dirty” Dom has been rid of the burden of being AAA Mega Champion at TripleMania 34 Night Two, where he dropped the title to El Grande Americano, WWE may have other plans for him on Monday Night RAW.

There have been ongoing rumors regarding the breakup of The Judgment Day. With both Mysterio and Liv Morgan losing their titles, JD, Raquel Rodriguez, and Roxanne Perez could betray the couple and kick them out of the faction.

This would lay the groundwork for Dominik Mysterio and Liv becoming a babyface couple on the red brand, waging war against their former faction.

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