Did Shubman Gill Edit Sanju Samson Out of India’s T20 World Cup Victory Photo? Truth REVEALED

Shubman Gill sparked a social media storm after sharing a T20 World Cup celebration photo where Sanju Samson was missing. Fans accused Gill of cropping him out, but photos from Suryakumar Yadav and Yashasvi Jaiswal showed Samson was standing behind players and outside the frame, debunking the edit claims.

Team India Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill sparked a social media storm after he shared a picture from India’s T20 World Cup 2026 celebrations, with Sanju Samson noticeably missing from the image, wherein the players were celebrating with the trophy on the stage.

Samson played a crucial role in India’s T20 World Cup title success, as he played three crucial knocks in the knockout stages, including 97 against the West Indies in the Super 8 stage, 89 against England in the semifinal, and 89 against New Zealand in the title clash, helping India clinch the coveted trophy for the third time.

The Men in Blue, led by Suryakumar Yadav, successfully defended the T20 World Cup crown, making them the first team to do so in the history of the marquee event. Also, Team India further scripted history by becoming the first to win three T20 World Cup titles, further cementing their dominance in the shortest format of the game.

The Photo That Sparked a Social Storm

Shubman Gill was not part of the India squad in the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2026, but he was kind enough to post a congratulatory message for the team on social media following their title triumph. Gill posted a victory photo of the squad with the T20 World Cup trophy on the stage.

However, fans and cricket enthusiasts noticed every player was visible in the picture, except for Sanju Samson, who had played a key role in India’s campaign. The post by Shubman Gill began to gain traction on social media after the absence of Samson from the image caught the attention of fans, leading to speculation and debate online.

India Test and ODI captain faced social media, as the fans accused Gill of editing out Sanju Samson from the image or deliberately cropping the photo out of ‘jealousy’ over the Kerala cricketer replacing him in the 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup 2026.

Sanju Samson and Shubman Gill were the contenders for an opening spot in India’s T20 World Cup, but it was the former who made it to the 15-member roster, as the latter was left out of the selection due to a lack of form and combination for the marquee event.

Gill’s inconsistent performance since his return to the T20I setup as an opener, which pushed Samson to the middle order, meant that he missed out on a starting role.

The Truth Behind the Viral Photo

The fans on social media created a massive storm by targeting Shubman Gill, accusing him of intentionally leaving out Sanju Samson from the victory photo. However, such accusations and claims were misleading, as the image shared by Gill was not a cropped photo but rather an original one from India’s victory celebration on the stage.

This can be evidenced by Yashasvi Jaiswal’s social media post, where he shared the same photograph on his Instagram account, wherein Sanju Samson wasn’t seen in the picture, confirming that Shubman Gill had not edited or cropped the image to exclude him. Samson himself stood behind or last in the line-up, which placed him outside the camera frame.

The fans shared Suryakumar Yadav’s social media post to back their claims, as the image posted by the India captain showed Sanju Samson standing behind the players. However, the different moments were taking place during the victory celebrations with the silverware on the stage, with players changing positions. As a result, Sanju Samson appeared in some images shared by Suryakumar Yadav but was outside the frame in the one posted by Shubman Gill.

Therefore, while fans’ reactions highlighted frustration and curiosity over the photo, there is no concrete evidence to suggest that Shubman Gill deliberately snubbed Sanju Samson, making the incident more of a social media-fueled debate than an actual personal conflict.