Are India making a mistake by not playing Sanju Samson in T20 World Cup 2026?
(Courtesy : Getty Images)
Sanju Samson has played only one match in the T20 World Cup 2026 so far.
India’s struggle with the bat continued in T20 World Cup 2026 clash against South Africa Cricket Team. With Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma struggling for momentum, the Men in Blue desperately need their big names to find form quickly. Varma, in particular, has been facing the heat by both fans and cricketing pundits, mainly due his low strike-rates and struggles vs spin.
As a regular for India now, Varma has held the responsibility of number three for a while now. With India adopting an aggressive scoring approach in the T20 format, Varma’s batting seems to be out of line with the team’s mentality.
Not only Varma, Abhishek too has struggled big time. In T20 World Cup 2026, the opener has three ducks and one knock of 15 runs. He too has come under massive scanner, especially with Super 8 ongoing.
Should India replace Tilak Varma with Sanju Samson?
According to a recent report from Sportstar, Varma has a modest record against leg-spin in T20s, with a SR of nearly 115. The strike rate falls lower in T20Is. With plenty of spin being bowled in the ongoing World Cup, this statistic is concerning, and is pulling the Team back in the middle-overs phase.
The problem for India though, is the only other replacement option available in Sanju Samson has not been in form either. Samson was earlier expected to keep wickets but his disappointing outings against New Zealand have now led to his exclusion.
But Varma’s recent run could force them to think of other options. Samson offers better stability potentially against spin, and a right-left balance. However, prior to the India-South Africa Super 8 match, captain Suryakumar Yadav dismissed any such thoughts, and backed his fellow MI batter.
“You mean I should make him (Samson) play for Tilak?”, said Indian captain, laughing off the suggestion.
After Tilak’s 1 run off 2 balls dismissal against South Africa, pressure will be firmly on him to find his form sooner than later, to keep his position intact in India’s playing XI.
How is Tilak Verma performing at T20 World Cup 2026?
Tilak has managed only 108 runs across the five matches he has played at this year’s T20 World Cup
Is India open to dropping Tilak for Samson?
No. Captain Suryakumar Yadav dismissed speculation and denied any such rumours.
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Aniruddh Seshadri Iyer is a passionate sports journalist at Khel Now, specializing in tennis and Olympic sports. An engineer by training, he found his storytelling passion through iconic Grand Slam and Olympic moments. Known for sharp analysis and insightful coverage, he draws inspiration from Novak Djokovic’s resilience. Outside journalism, he enjoys reading, traveling, and playing the guitar.