‘How can you just ignore Ishan Kishan?’ - Legendary cricketer makes bold claim on struggling Sanju Samson

Legendary off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has shared his candid take on India’s batting combination following the ongoing T20I series against New Zealand, backing Ishan Kishan’s form and addressing the debate

around Sanju Samson’s place in the side amid his recent struggles versus the Kiwis.

Making his return to the Indian team, Kishan has impressed with his aggressive approach and consistency at the top, making a strong case for himself as India looks to finalise the playing XI ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

Chasing a modest target of 154 in the third T20I, Samson got out on a golden duck, marking his third successive failure in the ongoing series. Coincidentally, Kishan has found his mojo back, scoring a match-winning half-century and a quickfire cameo in Guwahati.

Now, the questions are arising regarding Ishan replacing the Kerala batter in the World Cup playing XI, once Tilak Varma comes back. Reflecting on the same, Ashiwn provided his take.

“It’s debatable. I personally know Sanju, and I have a personal relationship with him, having played three years with him in Rajasthan. He is a lovely cricketer, and he hasn’t always got enough opportunities. Now he is getting chances, but honestly, if you look at it properly, I am not always in favor of making too many changes before the World Cup. I always think that keeping things stable really helps,” said Ashwin on his YouTube channel.

He further demonstrated how hard it will be for the selectors and the team management to ignore the Jharkhand batter’s performance.

“But the way Ishan Kishan is batting, how will you ignore him? Of course, it is about keeping things stable, but how can you ignore him? Whatever happened, Shubman is a precedent for this. Why was Shubman in that spot? Because after seeing the partnership between Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma, that partnership looked threatening. But the way Ishan Kishan is batting, how can you just ignore it? It is very tough. So I think they have a clear task cut out. If they want to remain stable with Sanju and not make too many changes, that is understandable. But if they say they want to try changes, if they want to try Ishan Kishan at the top, it is also a warranted merit,” he added.

R Ashwin points out issue with Samson’s batting 

The off-spinner further shared his analysis of Samson’s batting and noticed a little pattern with which the opener is getting out.

“Just seeing the game yesterday, the way Sanju got out, there is a trend emerging. Against England, he was targeted on the body, and he used to pull, ending up getting caught at deep square leg. Now, against New Zealand, if you watch these three T20Is, almost all balls have been hitting middle and leg stump. They are bowling straight to him, and if it’s short, it’s on the body. That is an area Sanju Samson definitely needs to work on,” he concluded. 

Samson, who has been an integral part of India’s T20I setup recently, has struggled to convert starts in the ongoing series, which has once again put the spotlight on team selection and role clarity.