Sanju Samson's Lean Run - Will he be benched, AGAIN?

Sanju Samson's recent performances during the T20I series against New Zealand have placed his spot for the upcoming T20 World Cup in serious jeopardy. While he was considered India's first-choice wicketkeeper-batter before the series began, a string of failures has significantly weakened his position.

2024 was the year Samson sealed his spot in the T20I set up amassing 436 runs at 43.6 and a strike-rate of 180.16. A role change and him being slotted in the middle order was the beginning of a lean patch. India's current batting order is one for the ages and the approach the men in blue have adapted to, leaves no margin for failures. Six single digit scores, a single fifty plus score since 2025 isn't the worrying sign. The fact that Sanju's strike-rate dropped to a mere 129.06 has left a lot of cricket fans bewildered.

Sanju Samson's last 15 T20I innings: 26 (20), 5 (7), 3 (6), 1 (3), 16 (7), 56 (45), 13 (17), 39 (23), 24 (21), 2 (4), 37 (22), 10 (7), 6 (5), 0 (1), 24 (15).

• Inconsistent Scoring: Samson has struggled throughout the New Zealand series, recording scores of 10, 6, and 0 in the first three outings. In the fourth T20I in Visakhapatnam, despite having an "extra opportunity" due to an injury to Ishan Kishan, he managed only 24 off 15 balls in an innings that lacked confidence.

• Pressure from Competition: While Samson has struggled, his back-up, Ishan Kishan, has been highly successful, smashing 76 off 32 balls and 28 off 13 balls in his recent appearances. This success has pegged back Samson’s claim to the starting role.

• Technical and Psychological Struggles: Samson appears "confused in the middle" and is feeling the pressure. This was evident when he chose not to take the first strike in the fourth T20I, a shift from his usual habit. Technically, he has been hampered by a default trigger movement where he moves too deep into his crease, which led to him being bowled in the third and fourth T20Is.

• Running Out of Time: With only one T20I and a warm-up game remaining before the World Cup, Samson is quickly running out of chances to prove his form. Although he was part of the 2024 T20 World Cup-winning squad, he did not play a single match then and now risks being relegated to the bench once again.

Samson's form has been affected by frequent role changes—moving from opener to the middle order and back again, which is difficult for a batter in the volatile T20 format. However, his inability to capitalize on the opening slot, which he had previously made his own with three hundreds in late 2024, has left his World Cup spot "in jeopardy".