Don't Leave It Till Late, Sanju Samson: Team India Already Has A Plan B
With eight days to go before the T20 World Cup begins, India look every bit the team to beat.
With eight days to go before the T20 World Cup begins, India look every bit the team to beat. Abhishek Sharma has been swinging hard, Suryakumar Yadav is easing back into his destructive best, and the middle order - Ishan Kishan and Shivam Dube in particular - has carried real weight. And yet, one question refuses to go away. At the very top, the wait for a defining Sanju Samson innings keeps getting longer. Â
40 runs in four innings: The silence at the top
Even after the defeat in Visakhapatnam, the series-winning Indian side hasn't publicly tightened the screws on Samson. But the numbers are beginning to speak for themselves.
Against New Zealand, Samson has managed just 40 runs across four innings, averaging 10. He hasn't crossed 25 even once, and India have lost an early wicket inside the powerplay every single time.
Zoom out further and the trend becomes harder to ignore. No half-centuries in his last five innings. Just one in his last 15.
Yes, there are three centuries and a fifty in his last 20 T20I innings - knocks in Hyderabad, Durban, and Johannesburg that powered his return to the side and pushed vice-captain Shubman Gill out of the opening slot. But those highs are increasingly distant memories. Right now, the returns are thin, and the clock is ticking.
The powerplay partnership problem
When Samson falls early, India lose the chance to go into full
overdrive during the powerplay. So far, Abhishek Sharma, Kishan, and even Suryakumar have patched over that weakness. But Visakhapatnam offered a reminder of what happens when the top collapses.
At 82 for five, India were asking Shivam Dube and the lower order to do too much. Against a New Zealand side that refused to roll over, it proved a bridge too far - and the visitors stole a win they had no right to on paper.
What Harbhajan sees
Harbhajan Singh, on commentary for Star Sports, summed it up simply: "You don't have to attack from ball one. Even in the powerplay, you can start with control and then accelerate."
It was advice directed at Samson, but also a reminder of what India may need at the top: clarity more than flair.
A different player away from India colours
The frustration is sharper because Samson's domestic T20 record tells a very different story. In the IPL and other domestic leagues, he has been consistently productive - six centuries, 51 half-centuries, and 323 matches of taking on top-quality bowling without hesitation.
That contrast is why the patience still exists. And why the scrutiny is so intense.
Sanju Samson's T20I snapshot
Last 5 innings: 0 half-centuries
Last 10 innings: 1 half-century
Last 15 innings: 1 half-century
Last 20 innings: 3 centuries, 1 half-century
Overall (56 matches): 3 centuries, 3 half-centuries, strike rate 148
Domestic T20s: 6 centuries, 51 half-centuries
One last shot at home
Samson knows the margins at a World Cup are unforgiving. If he starts slow, there may not be time to recover. Before the tournament begins, he has one final audition - and it couldn't be better staged.
The series finale against New Zealand in Thiruvananthapuram, his home ground, offers familiar conditions and a rare sense of comfort. A big innings there doesn't just bring runs; it brings trust.
Because while India look settled, they are not short on options. And Plan B is already warming up.
Sanju Samson
India Cricket Team