Team India put up a stellar performance in the final T20I against New Zealand, securing a dominant victory. However, the spotlight once again fell on Sanju Samson, who failed to make an impact, this time on his home ground at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday, January 31.
Choosing to bat first, Samson struggled to get going, managing just a run-a-ball six before being dismissed in the third over. In contrast, Ishan Kishan stole the show with a magnificent maiden T20I century, scoring 103 off just 43 balls, including six fours and 10 sixes. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav also played a blistering knock, contributing 63 off 30 balls as India posted a formidable total of 271/5 in their allotted 20 overs.
In response, New Zealand faltered and were bowled out for 225, with Arshdeep Singh wreaking havoc with a five-wicket haul and Axar Patel chipping in with three wickets. With this victory, India sealed the series with a convincing 4-1 scoreline. However, amidst the celebrations, Sanju Samson’s struggles with the bat continued.
Let’s take a closer look at three of Samson’s worst-performing T20I series:
#1 IND vs NZ 2026:
In the recently concluded five-match T20I series against New Zealand, Samson failed to leave a mark. Despite featuring in all five games, he could only muster 46 runs at an average of 9.20 and a strike rate of 135.29. His best performance came in the penultimate game, where he scored 24 off 15 balls, highlighting his ongoing slump in form leading up to the T20 World Cup 2026.
#2 IND vs ENG 2025:
During the five-match T20I series against England in January-February 2025, Samson’s struggles continued. Despite playing all five games, he managed a mere 51 runs at an average of 10.20 and a strike rate of 118.60. Throughout the series, he found it challenging to deal with short deliveries and was consistently dismissed by pacers, with Jofra Archer accounting for three of his five dismissals. In contrast, his opening partner Abhishek Sharma emerged as the leading run-scorer, amassing 279 runs in five innings.
#3 IND vs SL 2024:
Another disappointing campaign for Samson unfolded during the three-game T20I series against Sri Lanka in 2024. Samson featured in two matches but endured a forgettable run, getting dismissed for a duck in both games. Despite his struggles, Suryakumar Yadav led India to a clean sweep of the series, with the skipper also bagging the Player of the Series award.
Reflecting on Samson’s overall T20I record, the 31-year-old has played 57 matches, scoring 1,078 runs in 49 innings at an average of 23.95 and a strike rate of 147.46, including three fifties and as many hundreds. As he continues to strive for consistency in international cricket, the spotlight remains firmly on his performances and contributions to the Indian team.
This article was edited by Dev Sharma.
