Sanju Samson’s struggles continued on Wednesday as he was dismissed for a first ball in India’s chase of 154 in the third T20I against New Zealand in Guwahati.
The right-hander was bowled by Matt Henry as he moved across the crease and missed a shot aimed at the leg side. It was a soft end to his innings and summed up a tough run in the series.
This was Samson’s third straight failure with the bat in the ongoing five-match T20I series. He scored 10 in the first match, followed by 6 in the second, for the golden duck in Guwahati.
The poor results come at a difficult time for Sanju Samson, who was chosen over Shubman Gill for the New Zealand series and also for India’s provisional squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup.
India had backed Samson after his 37 in the final T20I against South Africa earlier this season, an innings that played a key role in him making the World Cup selection. However, since then the slopes have dried up.
Now that World Cup selections can be changed up to a week before the tournament, Samson’s place no longer looks safe. Selectors now have time and options, and his form is likely to be closely monitored in the remaining matches.
There is already talk that Samson could be on the bench for the fourth T20I. In that case, Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma are expected to open while Tilak Varma, who is returning from surgery, is also in line for the top spot.
India’s dominant win in Guwahati may have sealed the series, but Samson’s personal battle is far from over. With the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka starting on February 7, competition for batting spots is fierce and consistency is becoming non-negotiable.
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