Despite India’s eight-wicket win over West Indies, Sanju Samson’s poor form continued, with just 11 runs. His inconsistency has sparked social media scrutiny, with fans questioning his place and calling for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to get a chance.
Team India wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson has yet again come under heavy scrutiny after another poor outing in the first T20I of the five-match series against the West Indies at Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Tuesday, October 6.
The Men in Blue took a 1-0 series lead with an eight-wicket win over the Caribbean side. With a 172-run target, skipper Shreyas Iyer’s 102-run knock and his unbeaten 137-run stand for the third wicket with Ishan Kishan, who scored 37 off 27 balls, helped Team India to go past the finishing line in 14.4 overs or 32 balls to spare.
For the West Indies, Akeal Hosein (1/37), who played his 100th T20I, and Roston Chase (1/37) managed to pick up the early wickets to apply pressure inside the powerplay. However, the Caribbean side failed to capitalise on early breakthroughs as bowlers struggled to contain India’s batters.
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Sanju Samson’s Inconsistent Run Takes Centre Stage
As Team India clinched an eight-wicket victory in the first T20I against the West Indies, a major topic of discussion was not just Shreyas Iyer’s maiden century in the format but also Sanju Samson’s yet another poor outing that sparked questions about his place in the playing XI.
Before the T20I series opener in Lucknow, Samson’s form was in the spotlight following his disappointing outing in the Asian Games 2026, where he registered scores of 7 and 2 in the semifinal and final against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, respectively. Also, the wicketkeeper-batter scored just 9 in a historic one-off T20I match against Japan.
In the first T20I against West Indies, the expectations on Sanju Samson to deliver and silence the critics were high, but he once again failed to make an impact, dismissed for just 11 off 9 balls by spinner Akeal Hosein, against whom he scored a boundary in the second over of India’s run chase.
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Since the T20 World Cup this year, Sanju Samson was named the Player of the Tournament following his sensational run-scoring spree, his career has continued to swing between extraordinary match-winning brilliance and sudden, frustrating slumps.
Post the T20 World Cup, Samson has registered the scores of 5, 0, 1, 27, 10, 57, 50, 9, 7, 2, and 11, scoring 179 runs at an average of 16.27 across his last 11 T20I innings, further highlighting his inconsistency with the bat.
Fans Question Sanju Samson’s Place After Another Failure
Sanju Samson’s yet another failure with the bat has sparked debate on social media, especially X (formerly Twitter), with fans and cricket enthusiasts questioning his place in India’s playing XI and calling for young batter Vaibhav Suryavanshi to be given an opportunity in the upcoming matches.
Taking to their X handles, many fans expressed their frustration over Samson’s continued inconsistency, with some calling for him to make way for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, while others defended the wicketkeeper-batter and backed him to return to form.
Another section of fans questioned his consistency and argued that his past performances should not guarantee him a permanent place in the Indian team, while some wanted Sanju Samson to return to first-class cricket and regain his form before being considered for selection again.
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This year, Sanju Samson has featured in 21 T20I matches and aggregated 546 runs, including five fifties, at an average of 27.30 and a strike rate of 173.33.
After the T20 World Cup, Samson hasn’t lived up to the expectations of his performances earlier in the year, with his inconsistent run continuing to raise questions over his place in India’s playing XI.
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