Do Ishan Kishan’s Raipur brilliance and Sanju Samson’s failure reignite India’s opener debate ahead of T20 World Cup 2026?
Since the beginning of 2025, Team India top-order batter Sanju Samson has struggled with just 162 T20I runs in 10 innings at 16.20. The right-handed batter’s strike rate of just 128.57, along with a solitary half-century, is hardly inspiring for the management ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026. Even in the first two T20Is of the ongoing five-match series against New Zealand, Samson has returned with modest scores of 10 and 6.
For any individual in Indian cricket—a system blessed with abundant talent—it is crucial to seize opportunities at the right time. Ishan Kishan did exactly that during the second T20I against New Zealand in Raipur, producing a fluent knock of 76 while batting at number three.
Kishan is almost a mirror image of Sanju Samson, sharing a similar role as a top-order batter who also keeps wickets. His impressive innings has now reignited the debate around India’s opening combination, just two weeks ahead of the T20 World Cup.
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Samson under pressure due to Kishan’s purple patch
Due to Sanju Samson’s poor returns with the bat, India have struggled to establish a solid opening partnership with Abhishek Sharma in T20Is. The left-right combination has managed 192 runs for the first wicket in eight innings at an average of just 19.3 since the beginning of 2025.
Even though they have scored at a run rate close to 10, it has not translated into consistent impact. Their only fifty-run opening partnership for India in T20Is over the last 13 months came against South Africa in Ahmedabad.
Since the beginning of 2025, Samson has also developed a new weakness in the shortest format. The wicketkeeper-batter has managed only 142 T20I runs in 13 innings against pace at an average of 12.9. He has been dismissed 11 times in that period at a strike rate of 124.60, which remains a concern for the management.
Breaking the numbers down further only highlights Samson’s growing issues. Since 2025, the Kerala-born batter has averaged just 10.4 against right-arm pacers, scoring 104 T20I runs in 12 innings. He has been dismissed by right-arm pace on 10 occasions in that span, an ominous sign for India’s management.
Meanwhile, Ishan Kishan has made a sensational return to the shortest format during this period. He went back to domestic cricket and rediscovered his aggressive approach. Leading the champion Jharkhand side, the southpaw amassed 517 runs to finish as the leading run-scorer of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025/26. He averaged 57.44 at a strike rate of 197.32, powered by two centuries and two half-centuries.
Kishan’s overall T20I record in the top order also compares favourably with Samson’s. The former has scored 860 runs in 33 T20I innings at a strike rate of 129.71, registering seven half-centuries. In contrast, Samson has accumulated 666 runs in 25 T20Is at a strike rate of 166.08, with two fifties and three centuries, numbers that underline his inconsistency at the top.
Kishan has also batted as an opener in the SMAT on 62 occasions. The Patna-born has compiled 1,977 runs at an average of 34.68 and a strike rate of 146.55, including eight fifties and five centuries.
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Will Ishan Kishan replace Sanju Samson?
The concern with Samson lies in the similarity of his dismissals in the first two T20Is against the Blackcaps. In Raipur, he opted for the aerial route and chipped a length delivery straight to the mid-on fielder. Two evenings later in Nagpur, he suffered another soft dismissal, flicking the ball inside the 30-yard circle.
Former India women’s coach, WV Raman, pointed out the mistakes of the opening batter. He addressed how Samson’s bat speeds are not adjusted to the downswing in relation to the ball’s pace.
“Samson will be inconsistent as long as he doesn’t adjust the speed of his bat on the downswing in relation to the pace of the ball. In simple terms, one can’t drive a car at the same speed all the time, everywhere,” Raman wrote on his X-account.
Meanwhile, Kishan was under pressure when he walked in with India reeling at 8/2 after two overs during their 209-run chase in Raipur. Despite that, he went on to play a sensational knock of 76 off 32 balls, laced with 11 fours and four sixes, including a 24-run over off Zakary Foulkes. The 27-year-old later shed light on the planning behind such knocks.
#Samson will be inconsistent as long as he doesn't adjust the speed of his bat on the downswing in relation to the pace of the ball. In simple terms one can't drive a car at the same speed all the time, everywhere. #IndvNz #CricketTwitter
— WV Raman (@wvraman) January 23, 2026
“I asked myself one question- can I do it again or not? And I had a very clear answer. I felt I could bat through the innings and play good shots. I just needed to get runs somewhere to answer my questions. Even if I got out, I just wanted to play good cricket, that was it,” Kishan expressed in the post-match presentation.
Even India’s captain, Suryakumar Yadav, was stunned to see ‘anyone bat at 6/2 in that manner.’ Now the question stands if Kishan would replace Samson as India’s opener. The management will perhaps give one more chance to the new Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter, who is fighting against time.
As of now, the blessing in disguise for Samson is the absence of the injured Tilak Varma. That means Kishan will continue to bat at number three, and he may also cement this position if the Hyderabad batter gets ruled out of the World Cup. Moreover, Kishan’s potential opening position in Tilak’s return will see the Blue Brigade go with three left-handers in the top three
But the bottom line remains simple for Samson. Runs are the only currency for any batter. To stay in the playing eleven, he needs to deliver with the bat. His next chance to deliver will be during India’s third T20I against the Kiwis on January 25 at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati.
Ishan Kishan’s strength is his belief and hard work. That's what makes him rise after every fall, Real come back for him.
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) January 23, 2026
Read More: Ishan Kishan slams fourth-fastest century in men’s List A cricket, coming in at no. 6 for Jharkhand
