Kamal Ghorui
Thiruvananthapuram: As the temple bells echoed across Thiruvananthapuram, the Indian team, led by captain Suryakumar Yadav, bowed in reverence to the hallowed Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple on Friday morning. One person’s absence cut through the moment like a deafening silence. Sanju Samson — the local hero, crowd favourite — was obviously missing, barred by temple customs from entering the shrine. If anyone could have used the comfort of divine intervention, it was Samson, still searching for the spark to reignite his faltering batting form.What followed in Visakhapatnam two days earlier was all too familiar. A 15-ball stay, little authority, and another subdued exit. Mitchell Santner delivered the final verdict, a delivery sliding on to beat Samson’s defence. Perched on the back foot, bat groping outside the line, the dismissal was technically explainable and emotionally predictable. It barely disturbed the evening, yet it echoed loudly within a career already heavy with unresolved questions.
The numbers offer little refuge. Forty runs across four matches invites impatience, not indulgence. Samson’s opportunity in Vizag came only because Ishan Kishan was nursing a niggle — and Kishan’s form since has only sharpened the selection arithmetic ahead of the T20 World Cup. He is batting with clarity and intent, qualities selectors tend to reward.Should Samson be left out of the showpiece event, India may be forced into an unconventional top order featuring three left-handers — Abhishek Sharma, Kishan and Tilak Varma. It raises questions of balance, but given Samson’s returns, it is a compromise selectors may be willing to accept.On the eve of the fifth T20, India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak came out in his support. “Sanju is a senior player. He has not scored as many runs as everybody would like to, but that’s part of a cricketer’s career. It’s up to an individual how to keep his mind strong and our job is to keep him in a good frame of mind.”Part of the problem is that nearly a decade after his international debut, Samson still lacks a clearly defined role. There have been stretches when permanence appeared inevitable, most notably a seven-match run against Bangladesh and South Africa where he struck three centuries as an opener.Yet, each surge was followed by a reset. The England series exposed familiar fault lines, a middling IPL stalled momentum, and by the Asia Cup he was pushed down the order to accommodate Shubman Gill.Batting down the order has dulled his rhythm and heightened his vulnerability against spin.Former Kerala pacer Tinu Yohannan weighs in. “There’s nothing wrong with his technique. He’s always been a top-order player, and was never a finisher,” Yohannan told TOI. “Lack of role clarity may have hurt his chances. If he is dropped, tough luck — but good for Indian cricket because we have so many options now.”India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel insists Samson is one hit from rediscovering his touch. But T20 cricket can be unforgiving.There may yet be one final audition — India’s last T20 before the World Cup. Samson’s career has always existed on fine margins. Right now, those margins are narrowing fast.
