Sanju Samson is Indian cricket's eternal selection puzzle. For a player who made his international debut in 2015, the fact that Samson hasn't cemented his spot even in 2026 is a big mystery that has seen multiple theories around it. Regardless, the fact is that the Kerala batter is part of India's T20 World Cup 2026 squad and has a chance of finally breaking the selection jinx in his favour.
However, the final India-New Zealand T20I on Saturday (January 31) might be Samson's final chance to keep his spot in the starting XI for the T20 World Cup. With just 40 runs in the four matches this series, Samson is under extreme pressure, especially with Ishan Kishan in pristine form. The Jharkhand batter registered scores of 76(32) and 28(13) in his last two games before sitting the fourth T20I out.
Given how Samson fared in 2024, it never seemed like his selection would be in doubt. As it turned out, 2025 was dismal for the 31-year-old who also had to bat at different spots due to Shubman Gill's return to the T20I side. But, with Gill's shocking World Cup omission (shocking because he was vice-captain), Samson now has no reasons to protect him and runs need to come.
Former India wicket-keeper batter Deep Dasgupta felt that Samson must make way for the fifth T20I, hinting at Kishan's superior current form as the major reason. Whether India's team management goes that route or not, remains to be seen but Dasgupta was strong his stance against Samson.
"So the whole idea is getting ready for the World Cup and everywhere possible, just try and tick all the boxes that you've got. So I won't be surprised. In fact, I would like to see him take the gloves," said Dasgupta as quoted by PTI.
What works in Samson's favour for the Thiruvananthapuram T20I is that Tilak Varma isn't available, which means that the think tank can accommodate both Samson and Kishan in the XI, like they did in the first three games of the series. Shreyas Iyer is an option, yes, but the Mumbai batter isn't a part of the World Cup squad, so he is likely to be sidelined yet again for this fixture.
Can Samson make a statement on his first international game on home turf?
