The involvement of Sanju Samson in the Indian T20I team has come under the spotlight once again, with discussions not being limited to a few underwhelming innings. The player has shown himself capable of making an impact in critical games, but the issue with him lies in making that an ongoing thing.
With Ishan Kishan and now Vaibhav Sooryavanshi coming to the fore in T20Is, Sanju Samson, who won the Player of the Tournament in the T20 World Cup 2026, is once again back to fighting for his place in the Indian T20I XI. Today we will see 3 reasons why Sanju Samson deserves a long run in T20Is.
Here are the 3 reasons why Sanju Samson deserves a long run in T20Is:
3. He needs more confidence to be effective.
Sanju Samson needs to be given more confidence before each and every T20I series India plays. He has extreme ups and downs in form with the bat, as he scored fifties and centuries in one match and then gets out for a duck the very next game. However, once he has that confidence in him, he can help India win games single-handedly, like he did in the T20 World Cup 2026. Three brilliant knocks in the ICC event were followed by 4 ordinary innings. However, he did well against Afghanistan in the recent series.
2. He is a better keeper behind the stumps.
Sanju Samson has competition in T20Is as a wicketkeeper from Ishan Kishan, Dhruv Jurel, and Rishabh Pant. Add Prabhsimran Singh to the mix as well, and Samson needs to be perfect with the bat and even more with the keeping work. However, Samson has the advantage of being senior to them and has more experience of keeping, making him better than probably Jurel and Prabhsimran, while Pant and Kishan are near to him in glovework.
1. He can be destructive when on song.
Sanju Samson is an amazing batter with the ability to destroy any bowling attack on any type of pitch. He can demolish the best-of-pace attacks on a bouncy track and dominate spin in a wicket that is turning square. Samson showcased both, as he scored two tons in South Africa and then played well in the T20 World Cup at home on spin-friendly pitches. He is very smart with the bat, knows when to take the backseat when his partner is on the song, and then dominates when he gets the chance. He is an asset with the bat at the top, and India should stick with him for a few more series.
