India are in dominant form at the moment and are firing on all cylinders with the T20 World Cup just 12 days away. The defending champions have sealed the ongoing five-match series against New Zealand with two games still left to play. More than the wins, the manner in which India have outplayed New Zealand showcases the dominance of Suryakumar Yadav's side. However, there is one blip that needs to be addressed.
Sanju Samson started the series as Abhishek Sharma's primary opening partner and seemed to be heading towards T20 World Cup 2026 as a sure starter in the XI. However, scores of 10, 6 and 0 mean that the Kerala batter is under extreme pressure. Ishan Kishan, the back-up wicket keeper batter, slotted in at 3 due to Tilak Varma's absence, and produced scores of 8, 76 and 28.
Kishan's 32-ball 76 in the Raipur T20I was mind-boggling as the southpaw looked in peak ball-striking form. He continued in the same vein at Guwahati but couldn't convert his 13-ball 28 into a bigger score. Nevertheless, Kishan's knocking the door strongly for a spot at the top of the order when Varma returns from injury.
ALSO READ
Samson is understandably in a spot of bother but he is set to get one more chance in the fourth T20I at Vizag. Varma has been declared fit to play T20 World Cup 2026 but the left-hander will not be considered for the fourth T20I as the medical team don't want to rush him back to action.
It might seem like an overreaction but how things pan out for Samson and Kishan in Vizag could determine their fate in the starting XI. To state the obvious, Samson needs a really big score to keep his spot and anything less would mean getting benched for the final game of the series if Varma returns for that game.
Currently, the Hyderabad batter's comeback has multiple theories with certain sources hinting at the fifth T20I while there is also talk that he would make it straight to the warm-up game on February 4. There is also an outside possibility of Varma not starting the first game of T20 World Cup 2026 as well, with plans apparently in place for a comeback in the second league game. Nevertheless, Samson's time to make a mark is now.