Sanju Samson hasn’t cashed in. It seems like this exact line has been written about the wicketkeeper-batter from Kerala thousands of times. Samson often gets those starts. Hits from imperious strokes. But falls short. It looks like no one can stop him, but more often than not, it’s not the bowler or the opposition that leads to his fall, but him.
One can say Samson’s done it again. In the must-win India vs Zimbabwe match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, he was granted a second chance in the T20 World Cup 2026. The Indian team management made the tactical decision to bench Rinku Singh and play Samson as the opener and wicketkeeper.
Samson had previously featured against Namibia due to Abhishek Sharma‘s unavailability. He’d played a good cameo in Delhi, scoring 22 off 8. One would’ve liked for him to go big, but that effort in the powerplay certainly helped the team. Therefore, Samson wasn’t criticised.
Sanju Samson’s valuable cameo
He’s repeated something similar in Chennai. Coming off a comprehensive defeat at the hands of South Africa, India needed a strong start. In the last 5 games, 26 was the highest opening stand for India. Abhishek was falling all too early. In the game, he didn’t; Ishan Kishan did.
Abhishek and Samson had formed a formidable opening partnership for over 12 months. They assembled again against Zimbabwe and found success. A 48-run stand from just 22 balls was what India needed. It’s fair to say Samson fell a little short, 24 (15), but in the circumstances and what India needed from him, he delivered.
His start was the reason India scored 82 runs in the powerplay. Just once have the Men in Blue scored more in the first six overs, and that was the Namibia match in Delhi, where Samson had scored 22 (8). It’s fair to say he’s aced the role given to him.
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