A frenzied crowd at the Green Park International Stadium was left in deafening silence as local boy Sanju Samson continued his torrid run in the fifth T20I against New Zealand on Saturday, January 31. Thousands of people were waiting for the fireworks from his willow when Samson first walked out to bat in India colors on his home ground, hence the Indian opener returned to the pavilion cheaply (6 runs).
Samson never looked comfortable during his stay at the crease as he got a strong outside edge on only the second ball of his innings which flew towards third man for a boundary. He struggled to find some rhythm and seemed to be under pressure as he never quite settled into his innings. The wicket-keeper batsman then found no timing as he managed another single on the fifth delivery over the inside edge.
IND vs NZ 5th T20I Update
Desperate to hit a boundary, Samson went with a calculated leg shot against Lockie Ferguson, but the New Zealand fast bowler’s speed proved too much, beating him with speed and leading to his dismissal. He finished off a mis-stretched shot and got a leading edge that went straight to Bevon Jacobs at deep reverse point. As a result, the stadium fell silent as Samson made his way back to the pavilion, much to the disappointment of his fans.
Interestingly, during the previous day’s practice, Samson had taken the sidearm tossing specialists to prepare for the high pace and looked comfortable in the nets. He looked confident and in good contact during training, handling the quicker deliveries with ease. However, this composure did not translate into runs in the match as the challenges of the game situation overwhelmed him again.
Samson completed the streak with 46 runs from five innings, with a top score of 24, in the fourth T20I in Visakhapatnam.
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Issued by:
Rishabh Beniwal
Published on:
January 31, 2026
