Kamal Ghorui
Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has delivered a blunt assessment of Sanju Samson’s prolonged dip in form, insisting that pressure cannot be cited as a justification for the wicketkeeper-batter’s repeated failures. Samson’s struggles continued in the fourth T20I against New Zealand in Visakhapatnam, further clouding his prospects ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026. Chahal underlined that a player of Samson’s experience should be capable of dealing with challenging phases. He noted that the ongoing series had provided ample chances for Samson to make a statement, but the performances had not matched expectations. According to Chahal, consistent low scores cannot be excused as mental pressure, particularly for someone who has spent over a decade in international cricket.
“Sanju Samson has played for many years. He started in the IPL middle-order, then became an opener. After playing international cricket for 10-12 years, pressure shouldn’t be an excuse. He has had four chances in this series. I can accept failure in one or two matches, but not in three or four. He knows someone like Ishan Kishan, who is the backup and is batting well at number three, is waiting. Sanju will blame himself. He had four opportunities but could not make them count,” Chahal said on JioStar. Despite his criticism, Chahal advised against knee-jerk reactions, pointing out that the T20 World Cup is still some way off and decisions should be taken with a broader perspective. “However, there’s no need to feel too bad because the T20 World Cup is still far. There’s one more match against New Zealand. It now depends on the team management’s thinking. If they feel Sanju is struggling as an opener and Ishan is doing well at number three, then the right call would be to make Sanju sit out and let Ishan Kishan take his spot as the opener and wicketkeeper in the final T20I,” he added. Samson once again failed to capitalise on a decent start in the fourth T20I, scoring 24 off 15 balls before being dismissed by Mitchell Santner. The pattern has become familiar. In his last five T20I innings, his highest score is 37, achieved during the recent series against South Africa. Across his last 15 appearances, the Trivandrum-born batter has managed just 262 runs at an average of 17.46. With only 40 runs across the New Zealand series so far, the 31-year-old is under increasing pressure, especially with Ishan Kishan making strong contributions at No. 3 whenever available. The battle for places is intensifying as India move closer to settling combinations for the global tournament. Kishan, however, missed the fourth T20I due to a niggle, and his availability for the fifth and final match at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on January 31 remains uncertain.
