NEW DELHI: Sanju Samson was firmly in the spotlight as India dominated New Zealand in the fifth and final T20I in Thiruvananthapuram. Samson was expected to hold on to fire on home soil, backed by fans eager to see him regain form. However, this did not materialize as the opener again failed to manage just six runs.Teammate Abhishek Sharma made a quick 30 off 16 balls but departed in the fifth with India at 48 for 2. From there, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav turned the game on its head, adding 137 runs off just 57 balls – the second-highest partnership for any Indian wicket against New Zealand. Kishan brought up his fifty in 28 balls and then moved into the fast bowler, reaching his next fifty in just 14 deliveries. He eventually completed his century off 42 balls – the fastest hundred against New Zealand and the fifth fastest overall for India. It was also the seventh fastest T20 century overall.
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Meanwhile, Suryakumar scored 50 off 26 balls. The pair took India to the 200 mark before Yadav removed Mitchell Santner in the 15th over. Kishan then combined with Hardik Pandya for another 48 off 18 balls before the centurion was dismissed and caught.Pandya smashed four sixes and a four as India passed 250 in the 19th over, setting a daunting target for the Kiwis.India batting great Sunil Gavaskar criticized Samson’s struggles during the series.“I think the selection committee was quite honest and gave Sanju Samson every opportunity. But now that Ishan Kishan is here and Tilak Varma is likely to come back, the batting order looks definite,” Gavaskar told Star Sports.Samson featured in all five matches of the series but managed only 46 runs in total.Samson is part of the Indian squad for the 2026 FIFA T20 World Cup.“It’s really hard to drop him. And drop him for who? Tilak Varma is a proven player at this level. Sanju Samson is also a proven performer but he’s not in form. It’s got nothing to do with his ability. You can’t take chances in a tournament like the World Cup. That’s why I think after giving him five matches – I think his highest score is definitely 24 – and without confidence he’s at 24. Tilak Varma is not fit, I don’t see him (Samson) being a part of the XI on February 7 (vs USA in T20 World Cup),” Gavaskar said after the match.Kishan ended the series with 215 runs, including a century and a fifty, to finish second on the run-getter chart behind Suryakumar Yadav.
