Team India breaks silence on Sanju Samson's dwindling returns ahead of T20 World Cup: ‘Main focus is…’

In the ongoing T20I series against New Zealand, the right-hander has returned with scores of 10, 6 and 0 so far, aggregating just 16 runs. In the third T20I in Guwahati, Samson was dismissed for a golden duck after being beaten by pace by Matt Henry.

However, ahead of the upcoming fourth T20I against the Black Caps, India bowling coach Morne Morkel downplayed the concerns surrounding Samson, saying he is confident that the 31-year-old will come good in the final two matches of the five-game series.

“But the main focus is that the team is winning, and I think that's important. We're 3-0 up in the series at the moment, the boys are playing some very good cricket, and we've got a couple of games now before the start of the World Cup, and I have no doubt that Sanju will find his form and runs on the board,” he added.

With Samson not scoring runs, Ishan Kishan has been making the most of his chances. Coming in as the replacement for the injured Tilak Varma into the playing XI, Kishan returned with scores of 8, 76 and 28, and the chorus is growing for the left-hander to be promoted as an opener and Samson to be shown the door.

It is worth mentioning that Samson was dropped as an opener despite him smashing three centuries in 2024 - one against Bangladesh and two against South Africa.

However, Gill failed to set the stage on fire, not hitting a single fifty in the 15 T20Is he played in 2025, and this led to him being dropped for the five matches against New Zealand and the T20 World Cup.

Samson was expected to form a cracking opening pair with Abhishek Sharma, but so far, things have not gone according to plan, and the Kerala batter has found himself wanting.

Speaking of the ongoing five-match T20I series between India and New Zealand, the hosts have already gained an unassailable 3-0 lead. The fourth T20I will be played on Wednesday, January 28, in Vizag.

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