Sanju Samson Warned About Technical Flaw As Ishan Kishan Stakes His Claim: 'Hardly Any Movement Of...'

Success, more often than not, hides underlying flaws. The Indian men’s T20I team might be witnessing something similar. India might be the world’s best and, arguably, most dangerous T20I team currently, but right before the start of their title defence at the World Cup – about eight days from now – they are dealing with a major concern.

Opening batter Sanju Samson, India’s leading run-getter in T20Is in 2024, is undergoing a lean patch. In the ongoing T20I series against New Zealand at home, he has mustered 40 runs from four innings, with 24 being scored in Vizag on Wednesday night alone.

On the other hand, his opening partner Abhishek Sharma has blasted 152 runs from four innings, and that includes two golden ducks. What’s concerning is that Samson’s

below-par performances have come on flat decks where both India and New Zealand batters have plundered runs for fun.

Clearly, Samson is under the pump, even more so when India have a quality backup wicketkeeper-batter in Ishan Kishan, who has been making the right noises ever since making his comeback in the T20I squad.

On Wednesday, as India suffered a big 50-run defeat while chasing 216, Samson seemed to have shed his poor form and gotten himself to a decent start. However, just when it appeared that the 31-year-old was set for a big score, Mitchell Santner had him clean bowled for 24.

And Sunil Gavaskar, who was in the commentary box during Samson’s dismissal, dissected the dismissal, pointing out a technical flaw in the batter’s approach to a delivery that spun.

“My first impression is that there was no footwork at all,” Gavaskar remarked. “Not very sure whether there was any turn. First impression was he was just standing there making room and playing through the offside.”

“Like I said, hardly any movement of the feet. Going outside leg-stump, once again exposing all three stumps, and when you miss, the bowler’s going to hit, and that’s what happened to Sanju Samson the second time around,” he added.