Despite all the pressure surrounding Sanju Samson, it was all smiles for the Indian team as they arrived in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday, January 29 ahead of their T20I final against New Zealand. Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav was seen brazenly taunting the hometown hero at the airport.
In a video that went viral on X (formerly known as Twitter), Suryakumar Yadav can be seen jokingly asking people around to give way to their arrival. He said, “Please stand back, don’t disturb the chetta (big brother in Malayalam).” As the Indian skipper said this, Sanju was seen to have a smile on his face as he arrived.
Watch the video
Big homecoming for Samson
Over the years of his international career, Samson has been part of the team during their previous outings in Thiruvananthapuram. But he never got the chance to play in front of his home fans in India colours. This would be a big moment in his career and could be the perfect way to reverse his form concerns as they go into the T20 World Cup after this series.
Ever since Shubman Gill got his place at the top of the order, Samson was unable to get at least half a century. He also failed to get past the power play except for two occasions.
The good news is that there was an Ihints that he might find his formespecially in the previous match in Visakhapatnam where he hit 24 off 15 balls. While he didn’t get off to the start he wanted, it remains a positive sign heading into the final game of the series.
The onus is now on the wicketkeeper and the opening batsman to get back to their best and silence any possible fears leading into the T20 World Cup, a tournament where India enter as the defending champions.
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Issued by:
Amar Panicker
Published on:
January 29, 2026
