‘Desperate and Inconsistent’: Sanju Samson Faces Harsh Verdict After Another Failure in T20Is vs NZ

Sanju Samson’s repeated failures as an opener against New Zealand have put his T20 World Cup 2026 spot under scrutiny. With Ishan Kishan in form and Kris Srikkanth noting his inconsistency, Samson faces a crucial test in the remaining matches.

Team India wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson’s repeated failures as an opener in the ongoing T20I series against New Zealand have sparked intense scrutiny over his place in the upcoming T20 World Cup and raised uncertainty over his future in the shortest format at the international level.

After Shubman Gill was excluded from the T20I setup for the ongoing series against New Zealand and the T20 World Cup 2026, Sanju Samson was reinstated as an opener, a spot he had previously lost to Gill during the Asia Cup and the subsequent T20I series against Australia and South Africa, before returning to the top of the batting order in the series decider against the Proteas in December last year.

However, the Kerala cricketer failed to capitalize on the opportunity, registering poor returns in the first three matches of the T20I series against New Zealand. Sanju Samson registered the scores of 10, 8, and 0, further intensifying his consistency and place in the team.

‘Feel Bad for Sanju’

As Sanju Samson struggled at the top of the batting order, former India captain and BCCI chief selector, Kris Srikkanth, expressed his empathy with the Kerala cricketers, while pointing out the challenges of maintaining consistency at the international level.

“You can’t drop Ishan Kishan now, no chance. Kishan is a more devastating player than Sanju Samson. I feel bad for Sanju. He seems desperate. He could have scored well in the last match and could’ve played well if he were a bit sensible,” Srikkanth said in his YouTube Channel, ‘Cheeky Cheeka’.

“The problem with Samson is his consistency. He makes a hundred but doesn’t score much thereafter. His performance has been quite up and down over the last 1.5 years. It has been a year and a half since his century against South Africa,” he added.

Sanju Samson faces tough competition from Ishan Kishan, who is in the race to cement his place as India’s first-choice opener as well as wicketkeeper. Contrary to Samson’s performance, Ishan has been in excellent touch, scoring a fiery 76 and 28 in the second and third T20Is against New Zealand in Raipur and Guwahati, respectively.

Ishan Kishan’s performances have strengthened his case as a reliable wicketkeeper-batter and opener, making Sanju Samson’s place in the playing XI increasingly uncertain ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026.

Samson to Lose his Place in the Playing XI for T20 WC 2026

With poor returns in the first three matches of the ongoing T20I series against New Zealand, including a golden duck during Team India’s 154-run chase in the third match, Sanju Samson faces a real threat of being dropped from the playing XI for the T20 World Cup 2026.

Ishan Kishan’s fiery form, combined with Samson’s struggles, has intensified the selection and put his World Cup spot under immense scrutiny.

“Samson has been unlucky sometimes, but at the end of the day, you are facing competition. You can’t help it. Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, and Abhishek Sharma are a certainty. Obviously, Samson will miss out. Kishan is a keeper-batter too, and he is in such a dangerous form,” a former BCCI chief selector.

Sanju Samson now finds himself at a crossroads as the selectors are likely to favour in-form players like Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan in the T20 World Cup 2026. With Tilak Varma expected to return before the T20 World Cup 2026, as he has been ruled out of the T20I series against New Zealand after missing the first three matches due to abdominal injury, Samson’s chances of making the playing XI further diminished.

With two matches left in the ongoing T20I series, Sanju Samson has one final chance to prove his form and stake a claim for a spot in India’s playing XI for the T20 World Cup 2026, which will begin on February 7.