Sanju Samson's poor returns in the ongoing T20I series against New Zealand have raised a few concerns in the Indian camp, ahead of the T20 World Cup. PTI
Bengaluru: When Matt Henry's harmless delivery rattled the stumps behind him for a golden duck, Sanju Samson would have wondered if he had blown up his last chance of keeping his place in the playing XI, having managed just 10 and 6 in his previous two innings.
While the rest of the Indian batting, inspired by skipper Suryakumar Yadav's return to form, is radiating intimidation, Samson appears as a square peg in a round hole. In near-perfect batting conditions in the ongoing T20I series against New Zealand, the right-hander hasn't looked the part, picking up three successive failures, raising a major concern less than two weeks from the home T20 World Cup.
Samson, after much clamour, was included in the T20 World Cup squad, ahead of Test and ODI skipper Shubman Gill, a decision which, at the time it was made, was as bold as it was logical. Samson had been treated unfairly despite stacking up three centuries towards the end of 2024 as Gill was brought back into the T20I set-up. The direct consequence of this move was the displacement of Samson from his favoured No. 1 position, where Gill linked up with his Punjab team-mate Abhishek Sharma, who has remained unshakeable at the top.
The separation of Samson and Abhishek, who had forged a successful partnership, had an impact on the Kerala batter's performances last year. Batting in different positions without a meaningful set of matches unsettled him, and his returns were poor. In 11 innings, he opened in six, came in at No. 3 twice and was sent at No. 5 thrice. In all, he managed 222 runs at an average of 20.18 and a poor strike rate of 126.85 with a lone fifty (56) against Oman in the Asia Cup.
When selectors sat down to pick the squad for the New Zealand series and the T20 World Cup last month, few expected them to exclude Gill and reinstall Samson as the No. 1 choice to open with Abhishek. But the Ajit Agarkar-led panel, in a welcome move, broke away from the convention of not touching the big stars.
Three matches into the T20I series against the Kiwis, the selectors and the Indian team management have a Samson issue at hand. Unlike in the past, when he would go to bed wondering where he would be batting the next day, Samson had been assured of batting position. With that much clarity, he was expected to at least look the part, if not produce big runs. But Sunday's dismissal suggested he is weighed down by expectations after all the support he received ahead of team selection.
Coming into the side at the expense of one of India's potential future greats would certainly carry its own pressure. His huge fan base back in his home state, which often overlooks reality and launches a social media war at the perceived slight to the batter, doesn't help his cause either. With each failure, the pressure mounts, especially with Shreyas Iyer warming the bench and second wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan blazing away at the moment.
Someone like KL Rahul, too, has been shunted up and down the order, but in a post-match chat during the ODI series against New Zealand, the right-hander said he was ready to bat anywhere in the side just to be in the playing 11! Samson, therefore, has no excuse to offer after three failures in his preferred batting position.
With the series wrapped up, India might persist with Samson at the top in the remaining two matches, and that's all the 31-year-old batter has to secure his place in the 11. If he fails, Kishan would displace him with Tilak Varma set to return for the biennial event.