Winning can hide problems beneath the surface, yet right now the Indian men’s T20I squad might be facing exactly that. Though they’re still seen as possibly the strongest team in T20 internationals, their build-up to the upcoming World Cup has sparked unease about who opens batting. With less than ten days before the tournament begins, cracks are showing where confidence once stood.
Now struggling, Sanju Samson once again finds himself under scrutiny. Top scorer for India in T20Is this year, his form has dipped when it matters most. Through four matches versus New Zealand, he’s totaled only forty runs. Most came during Wednesday’s game in Vizag – twenty-four of them, to be exact. Tough times, right where confidence tends to crack.
Few runs alone wouldn’t stir such concern – it’s where they haven’t appeared that matters. These matches unfolded on calm tracks, surfaces so kind even bowlers looked bored. One opener, Abhishek Sharma, piled up 152 across four turns at bat, though twice he fell first ball. Samson, by comparison, hasn’t carried early promise into big scores. That gap now draws every eye.
A fresh challenge presses harder now on the 31-year-old, thanks to Ishan Kishan stepping back into the T20I scene – a player known for handling bat and gloves with equal strength. His sharp striking form lately, built through steady runs in local games and the IPL, keeps Samson’s spot hanging by a thread.
A fifty-run loss chasing two sixteen in the fourth T20I gave Samson a moment that might have changed things. Off to a solid start, he moved the ball into spaces between fielders. Yet right when momentum built, left arm spinner Mitchell Santner slipped one past his guard – clean bowled for twenty four.
Back then, ex-India skipper Sunil Gavaskar was commentating. His take on Samson’s exit cut deep into technique. That moment still divides opinion today.
“My first impression is that there was no footwork at all,” Gavaskar said. “Not very sure whether there was any turn. First impression was he was just standing there, making room and playing through the off-side.”
Gavaskar went further, pointing out a recurring issue in Samson’s batting mechanics. “Hardly any movement of the feet. Going outside leg stump once again, exposing all three stumps. When you miss, the bowler is going to hit – and that’s exactly what happened.”
Nowhere is Samson’s habit more obvious than when facing spin – he leans too much on reflexes, not movement. Where others adjust their stance, he trusts reaction time alone. Given half a chance by the pitch, that choice backfires without fail.
No one questions Samson’s raw skill. From his teenage debut onward, people have called him one of India’s most instinctive batters. Still, his stats on the world stage paint a different picture. In 48 T20I outings, his average sits below 25 – lower than what many expect given his flair. His scoring speed stays strong, yet steady performance slips through his hands.
Now things are being questioned even more because of how players performed lately.
Choices made by those running the team haven’t made the situation better. Putting Shubman Gill in different spots messed up Samson’s place at the front, where he felt comfortable. Then came the Asia Cup, when Samson found himself batting lower down – a spot he wasn’t used to, one where nothing much clicked.
Barely any chances come around on the global stage, yet Samson’s struggles to step up when it matters most have dented his path forward. As the World Cup edges closer, steady performance might weigh heavier than promise in India’s eyes.
Right now, Samson still stands a chance, yet one small slip might cost him dearly. Should Ishan Kishan get his turn, backed by selectors who value current performance more than past fame, the coming stretch may settle it all.
Samson hears it loud. Talent by itself? Not enough. Fixing weak spots – like how he moves his feet versus spin bowling – could quiet doubters. Showing up in tight moments might just earn him a spot under bright lights. Only time tells.
