Sanju Samson, India's keeper-batter, has revealed that he might not make it into the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 after Ishan Kishan was included in the team before the ICC event for a series against New Zealand.
Kishan was nowhere in the picture just a few months before the T20 World Cup 2026, but he almost single-handedly made Jharkhand the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy winner, with a scintillating century in the final. Then Kishan made a fifty and his maiden T20I century in the series against New Zealand. This led to Ishan Kishan being included in the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup.
When Samson thought back on the pivotal moment in his international career, he acknowledged that he could see the selectors' perspective shift as Kishan seized his chance.
"After that, Ishan came in, and his story was completely different. He wasn't even in the team. He won Jharkhand the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy almost single-handedly and then came into the Indian team and was batting on a different level altogether. I could clearly see that Ishan was moving above me in the pecking order,” Samson told JioStar.
"You get five matches and score 24, 6, 6, 10, and 0, then another guy comes in, scores 70-odd straightaway, gets a hundred later in the series, and the next match is directly in the T20 World Cup. Anyone would prefer an informed batter. It was clear that the World Cup was done for me. Whatever had to happen had happened, and the only thing I could do was sit quietly and clap,” he added.
Samson claimed that after an incredible run of form, he thought he had finally established himself in India's T20I setup; thus, the disappointment was very hurtful.
"That's the spice of being an Indian cricketer, actually. Everything can change in a single day. The same thing happened with me as well. When I was given those seven matches, I don't think even I would have imagined that I would score three hundreds in those seven games,” he expressed.
The wicketkeeper-batter also admitted that the setback taught him an important lesson about balancing preparation with mental well-being.
"When I made those runs, people would say, 'Now you're sorted; you're settled. You've made your position in T20Is.' But in my mind, I couldn't believe it. Was it for real? Then the New Zealand series happened. This T20 format is such a funny game. I put my heart and soul into it, practicing like mad, thinking my goal was right in front of me: making sure that I was on the World Cup team. And after giving everything, 24 was my highest score in five matches,” he said.
Samson confessed that he realized constant practice was not the solution during this trying time.
"I realized I was overdoing it, and my wife was right; being happy and mentally in a good space is much more important than putting in hours and hours of practice. The New Zealand series taught me that,” Samson said.
Samson was dropped after initial failures but was brought back into the Indian XI, and he went on to make three consecutive fifties in three must-win games for India in their 2026 T20 World Cup-winning run, including the semi-final against England and the final against New Zealand.
Samson ended up winning the Player of the Tournament for his 321 runs in 5 games with a strike rate of nearly 200 and three fifties.
(IANS inputs)
