India cricket team will take on South Africa in their only warm-up fixture before the T20 World Cup 2026 on Wednesday at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. All eyes will be on the team combination, especially since Tilak Varma will return to the line-up, having recovered from his injury. The game could very well provide a glimpse of what could be Suryakumar Yadav’s plans for an out-of-form Sanju Samson in the marquee event and if he will warm the bench or be given more opportunities.
D-Day for Sanju Samson’s T20 World Cup plans
Ishan Kishan, who returned to the T20I setup after a gap of two years in the series against New Zealand, made the most of his opportunities, impressing with his performances with the bat. Something that Sanju couldn’t do, despite being backed continuously. After a whirlwind year in 2024, where he amassed 436 runs, including 3 centuries (the only Indian to do so in a calendar year), Samson has not been up to the mark in 2025 or 2026. 222 runs from 15 matches and just one fifty in 2025 coupled with just 46 runs from 5 matches in 2026 has made things very difficult for the keeper-batter, putting him at a risk of losing his spot in the side.
When India captain Suryakumar Yadav was asked earlier if Kishan will be picked over Sanju in the playing XI for the World Cup, he said that the call would be taken on February 7. However, the team combination on Wednesday in the warm-up game against SA could very well seal Samson’s fate, if he is benched for Ishan Kishan.
Ishan Kishan & Sanju Samson against New Zealand
| Batter | Innings | Runs | Highest Score | Average | Strike Rate | 50s | 100s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kishan | 4 | 215 | 103 | 53.75 | 231.18 | 1 | 1 |
| Samson | 5 | 46 | 24 | 9.20 | 135.29 | 0 | 0 |
Samson returned to the spot of the opener in the series against NZ after Shubman Gill was dropped from the T20 World Cup squad. While he was expected to flourish in that role after been given a lifeline – especially just before the T20 WC – he simply failed to do so. And now, time has all but run out for the keeper-batter and his hopes of keeping his spot in the playing XI.
With the return of Tilak to the side, there will be a toss-up between Samson and Kishan for a spot in the playing XI in the World Cup. The Jharkhand keeper-batter, who has been impressive as an opener in the past, registered scores of 8, 76, 28 and 103 in the four matches against NZ, making the case for his inclusion in India’s XI more solid.
Predicted India Playing XI for T20 World Cup 2026
Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Axar Patel (vc), Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah
Bench: Sanju Samson (wk), Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar
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