Yuzvendra Chahal, an Indian leg-spinner, has shared his thoughts on Sanju Samson’s recent difficulties, saying that the wicketkeeper-batter’s prolonged run of poor scores shouldn’t be justified by pressure. In the fourth Twenty20 International against New Zealand in Visakhapatnam, Samson’s lacklustre play persisted, casting doubt on his future in India’s 2026 T20 World Cup ambitions.
A player with Samson’s level of expertise ought to be better able to manage these kinds of circumstances, Chahal noted. The Indian spinner emphasised that Samson had plenty of chances to establish his dominance during the current series, but the results were just lacking. For someone who has played international cricket for more than ten years, Chahal made it plain that repeated failures cannot be dismissed as mental strain.
“Sanju Samson has played for many years,” Chahal stated. He began as a middle-order player in the IPL before switching to opening. Pressure shouldn’t be an excuse after ten or twelve years of playing international cricket. In this series, he has had four opportunities. Failure in one or two matches is acceptable to me, but not in three or four. He is aware that someone like backup batsman Ishan Kishan, who is performing admirably at number three, is waiting. Sanju will put the blame on himself.
Chahal claimed on JioStar that he had four chances but was unable to capitalise on them.
The leg-spinner advised against panicking in spite of the criticism, pointing out that the twenty-team competition is still a ways off and that choices should be made with the long term in mind.
But since the T20 World Cup is still a ways off, there’s no reason to feel too sorry. Another game against New Zealand is coming up. It now relies on the management of the team. The proper decision would be to make Sanju sit out and allow Ishan Kishan to take his place as the opener and wicketkeeper in the final Twenty20 International if they believe Sanju is having trouble as an opener and Ishan is doing well at number three,” Chahal continued.
In the fourth Twenty20 International, the wicketkeeper-batter once again failed to make a significant impression, managing 24 from 15 before Mitchell Santner defeated him. Although the beginning was encouraging, the failure to turn it into a significant contribution followed a well-known pattern. Samson’s highest score to date in five T20I innings is 37, which he achieved against the recent South Africa series. The Trivandrum-born player has only amassed 262 runs at an average of 17.46 in his last 15 appearances.
The 31-year-old is currently under increasing criticism after scoring just 40 runs in the New Zealand series, especially as Ishan Kishan has been playing well at No. 3 when healthy. As the Men in Blue get closer to completing their lineups for the international T20 tournament, the struggle for spots has gotten more fierce.
Stumper-batter Kishan, however, missed the series’ fourth game because of a niggle, and it’s unclear if he’ll be available for the fifth and final game, which takes place on January 31 at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.
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