Samson’s form is under questionImage Credit source: PTI
When the T20 World Cup 2026 starts between India and Sri Lanka on 7th February, the host team India will step in as the biggest contender for the title. Team India will defend its title and looking at the kind of rhythm this team of Gautam Gambhir-Suryakumar Yadav is showing, success is considered almost certain. But there is also a tension in front of Team India and that is the continuous failure of opener Sanju Samson. Samson’s failure against New Zealand has troubled him but Team India hopes that just one innings can change their story.
Team India easily won the first three matches of the T20 series against New Zealand. In this way, the 5 match series has already been won by the Indian team. During this time, while Abhishek Sharma is scoring runs continuously like before, captain Suryakumar Yadav has also returned to his old rhythm. At the same time, the bat of Ishan Kishan, who returned to the team after 2 years, has also wreaked havoc. But amidst all this, the failure of Samson continues to be a cause of trouble, who has been able to score only 16 runs in these 3 matches.
This condition of Samson has raised questions whether Team India should drop him and make Ishaan open. But it seems that coming so close to the World Cup, the team management does not want to make any major changes and they have faith in Samson. A day before the fourth T20 match, bowling coach Morne Morkel also said that just one innings is enough to restore Samson’s confidence. He said, “Sanju is just one innings away from regaining his confidence and form. As we head towards the World Cup, it is important that the boys are able to perform at their best at the right time. They are training well and playing good shots.”
At present, the support of the team management seems to be completely with Samson, but will he be able to get that one innings in this series or will it be seen only in the World Cup? This is a question, the answer to which Samson himself is also searching. In this search, he was also seen in Team India’s optional practice session on Tuesday, 27 October, in which it is generally not mandatory for players to participate.
According to reports, during this time Samson batted in the nets for about 30 minutes, where he was seen facing bowlers like Akshar Patel and Varun Chakraborty. During this time, he had to face some problems in the beginning but after spending some time, he was seen hitting big shots in his well-known style. Now, to know the outcome of this 30-minute practice, we will have to wait for the fourth T20 match to be held on January 28 in Visakhapatnam.