Sanju Samson’s technique has come under scrutiny after the India opener finished the five-match T20I series against New Zealand with 107 runs, including scores of under 20 in four games. India won the series 3-2, but Samson’s returns declined after a significant contribution in the opening match.
Samson made 67 runs in the first T20I and played a crucial role in India’s win. The remainder of the series proved less productive, however, with the batter ending the contest with two single-digit scores. His final outing brought four runs from 10 balls as India lost the fifth T20I.
Veteran India cricketer Hanuma Vihari addressed Samson’s dismissal in the final match, in which New Zealand fast bowler Adam Milne removed him. Vihari’s assessment focused on Samson’s positioning in the crease and the shot he attempted while the ball was moving.
Vihari highlights Samson’s final-match dismissal
“Samson stayed deep in the crease and let the ball swing. He should not have tried to play across the line,” Vihari said on his YouTube channel, as quoted by Sportskeeda.
Vihari also placed the final-match dismissal within the broader context of Samson’s returns across the series. “Sanju was inconsistent in this series. Again, there were some failures,” he added.
The five-match sequence produced a sharply divided set of numbers for Samson. His 67 in the first game accounted for a substantial portion of his 107-run aggregate. The four remaining innings did not bring another score above 20, and the final T20I ended with a four-run contribution.
Samson remained India’s first-choice opener for the series. He moved down to No. 3 in one game when Ishan Kishan was unavailable, before returning to the opening position after Kishan came back into the side. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had impressed, but Samson retained his place at the top of the order.
The selection context matters because Samson’s series contained both the first-match contribution that helped India win and the later scores that raised questions about consistency. The source noted that his firepower and match-winning ability have kept him ahead of Sooryavanshi in the pecking order for the time being despite patchy returns.
India’s final-match innings also featured dismissals for another key top-order batter. Abhishek Sharma, who made a memorable hundred during the series, scored one run in the fifth T20I before also falling to Milne. Vihari said the early movement played a part in that dismissal.
“The ball was moving off the pitch initially. Abhishek was early into the shot. He was hasty and it hit the bottom of his bat. It was a rare failure for Abhishek,” Vihari said.
India’s fifth T20I total was chased down
Without a major opening contribution from Abhishek or Samson, India relied on captain Shreyas Iyer and wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan for early momentum in the fifth T20I. Iyer made 50 from 23 balls, while Kishan scored 61 from 32.
Those innings helped India reach 191, but New Zealand chased the target down. Vihari also said the toss had an effect on the contest, stating: “I think India losing the toss made a difference.”
For Samson, the series ended with India taking the overall result but with attention on a run of lower scores after his opening-game 67. Vihari’s comments specifically identified the final-match dismissal as an area for examination, while the wider series figures underline why the discussion has followed the opener after the 3-2 result.
