It didn’t feel like the eve of a dead rubber final of a bilateral T20I series. When the Indian team bus arrived, dozens of local media personnel, complete with TV cameras, descended on the Greenfield Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. Just a moment ago, there were only a handful of reporters asking Matt Henry about his new role in New Zealand’s T20I set-up. But within hours, the stadium’s press room was packed.
The reason was obvious. Local hero Sanju Samson was present at India’s non-compulsory training session on the eve of the fifth and final T20I – India’s final competitive match before the T20 World Cup campaign kicks off on February 7.
The cameras panned to the practice nets, hoping to catch a glimpse of Samson. The Kerala star did not disappoint. Even as the likes of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer lined up and guarded before anyone else, Samson was already there in his training kit, calmly walking around the pitch.
It seemed almost deliberate, as if he wanted to make sure the TV cameras got their footage. He then went back to the dressing room and returned shortly after – this time stuffed and ready for some serious work in the middle.
The two sidearm specialists took position and continued to deliver at Samson as he worked to find his timing.
SAMSON VS SANTNER, SAMSON VS AXAR
Then came Axar Patel. The left-arm spinner, who appears close to full fitness after the finger injury he suffered in Nagpur, tested Samson with deliveries that swung away sharply and others that held their line.
It was no surprise that Samson spent time facing Axar, especially after his dismissal in Vizag, where he was gutted after a Mitchell Santner delivery pitched and swerved during India’s failed chase of 216.
That knock in Vizag marked the first time Samson had crossed double figures in the series, but what initially looked like a comeback innings was punctuated by a moment of brilliance coupled with a hint of lazy footwork. Battered on the outside edge, Samson had to leave in disappointment. Sanju Samson (PTI Photo)
Statistically, Samson averages over 20 against left-arm spin and has only been dismissed three times by Santner-type bowlers. Still, the Chennai Super Kings batter seemed to be leaving nothing to chance.
There is no doubt that Samson has been under pressure in this T20I series. With just 40 runs in four matches, he did not enjoy the return to the opening slot that many expected after a glorious 2024-25 season.
He also seems to have lost the rhythm he once had when he smashed three centuries in a matter of days last season. While he had to make way for Shubman Gill as India experimented with their Test captain at the top, Samson has struggled to find consistency since replacing Gill.
One might argue that the length of the rope gets shorter with age, but it would be unfair to expect Samson to go from his preferred position to a large one immediately after being ripped.
What is clear, however, is that Samson continues to enjoy the support of the team’s management. After Morne Morkel in Vizag, Indian batting coach Sitanshu Kotak also downplayed the concerns around Samson’s form.
“Sanju is a senior player. He is very good and has been playing for a long time. He probably hasn’t scored as many runs as everyone would like, but that is part of a cricket career. Sometimes you have five innings in a row where you score big and sometimes you go through a lean period,” Kotak said.
“It’s all up to the individual to keep his mind strong and of course it’s our job to keep him in a good frame of mind. He’s been training well, working hard and we all know what Sanju is capable of.”
“I think there is nothing to say about Sanju because he was really good,” he said.
Samson will be firmly in the spotlight on Saturday, with thousands of fans expected to chant his name. The batsman from Kerala will be desperate to make his first international outing in his hometown.
While much of the focus was on Samson, India took full advantage of the optional training session in a relaxed environment under the floodlights.
FIT-AGIN ISHAN WILL BE FIRST IN THE NET
Ishan Kishan was the first to hit the nets. A goalkeeper who was in war form, missed the fourth T20I in Vizag due to a niggle. However, he looked sharp and well during Friday’s session.
Batting coach Kotak later told the media that Ishan is likely to return to the playing eleven and offered a positive update on his fitness.
“At the moment, as far as I know, he is here in training. The physio will take the call, but I feel it is very likely he will be available,” he said.
Ishan initially faced the local net bowlers and sent several deliveries into the stands with complete ease. He then switched nets to take on India’s spinner trio – Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi and Axar – and made sure he was fully prepared should he make the matchday XI.
Then there was Shreyas Iyer. Despite warming the bench after being named as a replacement for Tilak Varma, the Punjab Kings skipper continued to put in the hard yards.
As in Vizag, Shreyas camped in one of the three nets India used on the eve of the match. The right-hander batted smoothly, driving and pulling with ease. He seemed in no mood to spare the feelings of the young pitchers operating against him.
Despite his impressive training, Shreyas is unlikely to play if India decide not to play with their combination ahead of the T20 World Cup, especially with Tilak Varma nearing full fitness and ready to reclaim his place. Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan also toiled hard in the nets in Thiruvananthapuram
SURYA AFTER SUNSET
Suryakumar Yadav only reached the nets in the second half of India’s session, but even then the skipper spent over an hour facing the throwdown specialists.
At one point, one of the specialists spoke from the center of the court and nudged Suryakumar to sharpen his answers.
While Surya rediscovered his rhythm with three 30-plus scores — including two fifties — in the series, the skipper wanted to spend more time fine-tuning his game. He focused on playing more through the offside against pace, relying on conventional strokes – an approach that former great Sunil Gavaskar urged on him during his lean patch.
As the sun faded and the floodlights went into full swing, Jasprit Bumrah, who had earlier rolled his arm in the nets, stood up and walked out to bat, sharing the net with Axar.
Suryakumar was the last to arrive and the last to leave.
Even as the groundsmen began to dismantle two more nets, he kept batting — as if determined that there would be no more lean patches in his career.
India will be keen to end the series on a high and head into the T20 World Cup with an impressive series win, leaving little room for questions or rumours.
– The end
Issued by:
Rishabh Beniwal
Published on:
January 30, 2026
