Sanju Samson has had a difficult time with the bat after India’s T20 World Cup victory in March 2026. The opening batter has battled for consistency in the following T20Is, prompting concerns about his form and place in the team.
Hanuma Vihari has commented on Samson’s recent problems, citing the strain the batter is under from increasing competition. Vihari emphasised how the combination of low scores and the development of young talent such as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has created a difficult situation for the veteran player.
Sanju Samson stats over his last 11 T20I innings are alarming.
Since the World Cup, he has scored 179 runs at an average of 16.27, with scores of 5, 0, 1, 27, 10, 57, 50, 9, 7, 2, and 11 in these games.
The difficulties have been visible across several competitions. Samson scored seven points in the Asian Games 2026 semifinals against Sri Lanka and two in the final against Pakistan. He also scored nine in a one-off T20I against Japan.
However, Sanju Samson did show some form against Afghanistan, scoring 117 runs in three matches, including two half-centuries, indicating that his technical talent is intact despite the recent slump.
The strain increased following India’s first T20I against the West Indies on October 6 in Lucknow. Samson scored 11 off 9 balls in the match, which India won by eight wickets. Shreyas Iyer led the team as captain and scored his first T20I century in the pursuit of a 170-plus mark, which was accomplished in under 15 overs.
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Despite the present form difficulties, Samson has continued to receive leadership support. The team management had expressed a desire to stick with the World Cup-winning opening combination of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson in the near future, but Vaibhav would wait for more opportunities to prove himself in the team.
