{"id":445643,"date":"2026-02-25T23:41:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T23:41:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/445643\/"},"modified":"2026-02-25T23:41:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T23:41:12","slug":"sanju-samson-close-to-re-entering-indias-playing-xi-as-india-hint-at-changes-for-must-win-zimbabwe-super-8-clash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/445643\/","title":{"rendered":"Sanju Samson close to re-entering India\u2019s Playing XI as India hint at \u2018changes\u2019 for must-win Zimbabwe Super 8 clash"},"content":{"rendered":"

India\u2019s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak stopped short of confirming any change in personnel, but his press conference on Tuesday strongly suggested that team management is actively weighing tweaks to the batting combination ahead of a high-pressure clash – with Sanju Samson very much in the conversation.<\/p>\n

\"GautamGautam Gambhir and Sanju Samson during a practice session ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026 match between India and Zimbabwe. (PTI )<\/p>\n

India\u2019s batting returns in the tournament have come under scrutiny, especially after the top order\u2019s repeated stumbles. Kotak, however, resisted panic. Instead, he framed the ongoing discussions as tactical, opposition-driven, and part of normal team planning rather than a desperate reaction. In that process, Samson\u2019s name emerged as a serious option.<\/p>\n

When asked directly whether conversations had taken place around Samson and possible changes involving him and Axar Patel<\/a>, Kotak was clear that the subject had been discussed.<\/p>\n

Kotak leaves the door open on selection rethink<\/p>\n

\u201cThere can be changes, yes\u201d, Kotak said. \u201cAnd obviously, it goes without saying that we discussed.\u201d<\/p>\n

He then offered a glimpse into the thinking behind those conversations, pointing to the left-heavy top order and match-up considerations.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause there are two lefty opening, number three is left-handed, and the opposition\u2019s bowling option,\u201d he said. \u201cI personally don\u2019t think that there is any problem there, also. But because in the last three games, we lost three wickets early. Obviously, any team would think. So we are thinking, and we\u2019ll see how it goes,\u201d he further added.<\/p>\n

Kotak, though, was equally careful not to reveal too much, adding that the team management does not finalise the XI too early. \u201cBecause we never decide the team too early. And obviously, it is not fair to start telling your plannings also in so advance. But yes, there are definitely thoughts,\u201d Kotak said.<\/p>\n

Also Read: Salman Ali Agha’s wife hits back at trolls over abuse after England defeat: \u2018Not going to win you the World Cup’<\/a><\/p>\n

The repeated emphasis on thoughts and changes was the closest he came to acknowledging a possible adjustment at the top.<\/p>\n

Kotak was also asked whether the previous day\u2019s net session offered clues, with observers noting Samson batting at the beginning while Abhishek Sharma was bowling. He dismissed that interpretation, but in doing so, again reinforced Samson\u2019s relevance to the selection discussion.<\/p>\n

\u201cSanju normally always bats if we have that space because Abhishek doesn\u2019t bat. And Sanju is the third opener and a wicketkeeper. So he bats always,\u201d Kotak said. He further clarified that the training routines should not be read as a direct indication of the playing XI. \u201cSo, that is not an indication. Yes, definitely, there will be thought about playing him. There is no doubt. But nets doesn\u2019t give any indication, I don\u2019t think.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a tournament where every call is magnified, Kotak\u2019s comments reflected a management group trying to protect confidence while still keeping options open. He did not announce a change or commit to Sanju Samson<\/a> starting. But he did something nearly as significant, he publicly acknowledged that India are discussing it, and that Samson is firmly in the frame.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"India\u2019s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak stopped short of confirming any change in personnel, but his press conference on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":445644,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[161808,1721,161807,6975,101,30688,161809,83275,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-445643","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cricket","tag-batting-combination","tag-cricket","tag-indias-batting-coach","tag-sanju-samson","tag-sports","tag-t20-world-cup-2026","tag-tactical-discussions","tag-team-management","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/445643","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=445643"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/445643\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/445644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=445643"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=445643"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=445643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}