All the pieces are falling into place, barring one, for Team India and their T20 World Cup title defence. There’s no denying that Suryakumar Yadav and his side will start the tournament as overwhelming favourites, given their recent form and India’s unbeaten run in the previous nine bilateral T20I series. However, ahead of the marquee 20-team tournament, Sanju Samson‘s form has emerged as a major concern, and the pressure is mounting on the Kerala batter, given how Ishan Kishan is setting the stage on fire.
Sanju Samson was dismissed for a golden duck in the third T20I against New Zealand. (PTI)
In the ongoing T20I series against New Zealand, the right-hander has returned with scores of 10, 6 and 0 so far, aggregating just 16 runs. In the third T20I in Guwahati, Samson was dismissed for a golden duck after being beaten by pace by Matt Henry.
However, ahead of the upcoming fourth T20I against the Black Caps, India bowling coach Morne Morkel downplayed the concerns surrounding Samson, saying he is confident that the 31-year-old will come good in the final two matches of the five-game series.
“Sanju is one knock away from finding his form back. We all know the cliché word that form is temporary. For us, building up to the World Cup, it’s important for the guys to find that peak performance at the right time. He’s training well, he’s hitting the ball very well, so I think it’s just a matter of time for him to get his squad on board,” Morkel told reporters during the pre-match press conference on Tuesday.
“But the main focus is that the team is winning, and I think that’s important. We’re 3-0 up in the series at the moment, the boys are playing some very good cricket, and we’ve got a couple of games now before the start of the World Cup, and I have no doubt that Sanju will find his form and runs on the board,” he added.
With Samson not scoring runs, Ishan Kishan has been making the most of his chances. Coming in as the replacement for the injured Tilak Varma into the playing XI, Kishan returned with scores of 8, 76 and 28, and the chorus is growing for the left-hander to be promoted as an opener and Samson to be shown the door.
Samson-Gill situation
However, it is worth noting that this is the first time since the five-match series against England in January 2025 that Samson has played as an opener in India’s T20I lineup. In the Asia Cup last year, Shubman Gill was parachuted into the squad as the vice-captain, and he took Samson’s spot as an opener.
It is worth mentioning that Samson was dropped as an opener despite him smashing three centuries in 2024 – one against Bangladesh and two against South Africa.
However, Gill failed to set the stage on fire, not hitting a single fifty in the 15 T20Is he played in 2025, and this led to him being dropped for the five matches against New Zealand and the T20 World Cup.
Samson was expected to form a cracking opening pair with Abhishek Sharma, but so far, things have not gone according to plan, and the Kerala batter has found himself wanting.
Speaking of the ongoing five-match T20I series between India and New Zealand, the hosts have already gained an unassailable 3-0 lead. The fourth T20I will be played on Wednesday, January 28, in Vizag.