Sanju Samson set to be dropped for the IND vs NZ 4th T20I? Here's the update

Under the captaincy of Suryakumar Yadav, the Indian team will enter to defend their T20 World Cup title from February 07. The 10th edition of the tournament will be hosted by India and Sri Lanka. The Indian team already announced their squad following the T20I series against South Africa last year. Shubman Gill was removed from the World Cup squad due to his poor form in T20Is. And Sanju Samson is currently opening with Abhishek Sharma, who played brilliantly in the opening slot in 2024. 

However, in this ongoing T20I series against New Zealand, Sanju Samson is continuously struggling. He has only scored 16 runs in 3 innings, including a duck. In the first game, he scored 10 runs; in the second, his cricket score was 6, and in the recent game, he got a golden duck. After his poor performance, his spot in the opening slot looks in danger because his backup, Ishan Kishan, has performed very well so far in the series. Ishan Kishan scored 112 runs in 3 matches, including a half-century. He played with an average of 37.33 and a wonderful strike rate of 224.00. 

Several cricket experts believe that Sanju Samson might lose his spot in the upcoming World Cup’s starting fixtures. And Ishan Kishan will open with Abhishek Sharma. Recently, former Indian cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra indicated that the team management would likely allow Samson one or two more matches, following Tilak Varma’s exclusion from the remaining T20Is due to failing to recover in time. He said that 

“Tilak Varma might not be available for these two games, which means he will join the team before the World Cup, which is a great thing actually, because Sanju Samson will get two more opportunities here. Now you will see both Sanju and Ishan Kishan playing. One of the games is at Sanju's home. It is in Thiruvananthapuram," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

"It was necessary for him to get two more chances because if we hadn't pivoted in the Asia Cup and Sanju had kept opening, he might not have been feeling this pressure at this time, because it's unfair. If he had kept opening, either you would have become a hero or gone out. So good news for Sanju and his fans that there are two more games," he added.

Chopra further stated that Sanju has now received ample opportunities. If he were to be dropped from the team, no one would raise any questions. He also added that the common thing with Sanju is that once he fails, he tends to fail repeatedly, which is completely unacceptable for the team.

“Nobody can actually argue or complain that full chances weren't given, although the truth is that Sanju is struggling. We are seeing that clearly. He is going deep into the crease and getting beaten and out to full deliveries. It happened in three consecutive innings. This happens with Sanju. When he gets out, he keeps getting out cheaply," the Agra-born concluded.”

The Indian team has already clinched the series. Now, the Indian team will play the fourth T20I at Visakhapatnam on January 28 and the final T20I of the series on January 31 at Thiruvananthapuram. Sanju will have to score big runs in the upcoming cricket matches of the ongoing series; otherwise, he might lose his opening position in India's opening match against the USA in the World Cup.