NEW DELHI: The spotlight was firmly on Sanju Samson when India took on New Zealand in the fifth and final T20I in Thiruvananthapuram. Enduring a lean patch, Samson was expected to come out firing on his home ground, backed by fans eager to see him regain form. That, however, did not materialise as the opener failed yet again, managing just six runs.Fellow opener Abhishek Sharma struck a quick 30 off 16 balls but departed in the fifth over with India at 48 for 2. From there, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav turned the game on its head, adding 137 runs off just 57 balls — the second-highest partnership for any wicket for India against New Zealand. Kishan brought up his fifty in 28 balls and then went into overdrive, racing to his next fifty in only 14 deliveries. He eventually completed his century off 42 balls — the fastest hundred against New Zealand and the fifth quickest overall for India. It was also the seventh-fastest T20 century overall.
Suryakumar, meanwhile, scored 50 off 26 balls. The pair powered India close to the 200 mark before Yadav was stumped off Mitchell Santner in the 15th over. Kishan then combined with Hardik Pandya for a further 48 runs off 18 balls before the centurion was dismissed, caught.Pandya smashed four sixes and a four as India surged past 250 in the 19th over, setting a daunting target for the Kiwis.India batting great Sunil Gavaskar criticised Samson’s struggles during the series.“I think the selection committee was quite forthright, giving Sanju Samson all the opportunities. But now, with Ishan Kishan’s innings here and Tilak Varma likely to return, the batting order looks definite,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports.Samson featured in all five matches of the series but could manage only 46 runs in total.Samson is part of India’s squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup.“It is really difficult to drop him. And dropping him for whom? Tilak Varma is a proven performer at this level. Sanju Samson is also a proven performer, but he is not in form. It has got nothing to do with his ability. In a tournament like the World Cup, you can’t take chances. This is the reason I think that after giving him five matches – I think his highest score is 24 – and he has got out in odd manners, he is definitely short on confidence. Unless Tilak Varma is not fit, I don’t see him (Samson) being part of the XI on February 7 (vs USA in the T20 World Cup),” Gavaskar said after the match ended.Kishan wrapped up the series with 215 runs, including a century and a fifty, finishing second on the run charts behind Suryakumar Yadav.
