India’s Sanju Samson (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi) India spinner Yuzvendra Chahal delivered a stark assessment of Sanju Samson’s long-term slump in form, insisting that pressure cannot be cited as justification for the wicketkeeper’s repeated failures. Samson’s struggles continued in the fourth T20I against New Zealand in Visakhapatnam, further dimming his prospects ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup. Chahal emphasized that a player with Samson’s experience should be able to handle the tough phases. He noted that the ongoing series had given Samson ample opportunity to express himself, but the performances fell short of expectations. According to Chahal, consistently low scores cannot be excused as mental duress, especially for someone who has spent more than a decade in international cricket.
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“Sanju Samson has played for many years. He started in the IPL middle order, then became an opener. After playing 10-12 years of international cricket, pressure should not be an excuse. He had four chances in this series. I can accept failure in one or two matches, but not in three or four. He knows someone like Ishan Kishan who gives himself three chances. Sanju has three chances with the bat and Sanju has the bat on three chances. but I couldn’t make them count,” Chahal said on JioStar. Despite his criticism, Chahal advised against a knee-jerk reaction, pointing out that the T20 World Cup is still a long way off and decisions should be made from a broader perspective. “However, there is no need to feel bad as the T20 World Cup is still a long way off. There is one more game against New Zealand. Now it depends on the mindset of the team management. If they feel that Sanju is struggling as an opener and Ishan is doing well at number three, then the right thing to do is to make Sanju sit out and let Ishan Kishan take his place at opener as a T20I wicketkeeper. Samson again failed to capitalize on a decent start in the fourth T20I, scoring 24 off 15 balls before being dismissed by Mitchell Santner. The pattern became familiar. In his last five T20I innings, his highest score is 37, achieved during the recent series against South Africa. In his last 15 appearances, the Trivandrum batsman managed just 262 runs at an average of 17.46. With just 40 runs in the entire New Zealand series, the 31-year-old is under increasing pressure, especially with Ishan Kishan contributing significantly at No.3 whenever he is available. The battle for placement is intensifying as India move closer to settling the combinations for the global tournament. Kishan, however, missed the fourth T20I due to an injury and his availability for the fifth and final match at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on January 31 remains uncertain.
