Former Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik has demanded the return of Sanju Samson to India’s playing eleven for the do-or-die Super 8 match of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 against Zimbabwe at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Thursday, February 26.
Dinesh Karthik demanded the return of Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson has played only one match so far in the T20 World Cup 2026, where he played a quick inning of 22 runs in just eight balls against Namibia. He got it because Abhishek Sharma was suffering from stomach infection.
Since then, Samson has been warming the bench, with India preferring in-form Ishan Kishan at the top along with Abhishek despite his struggles. Last year was not easy for the Kerala batsman.
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With Shubman Gill back in the team, Sanju continued to move up and down the batting order. Samson’s numbers declined badly in 2025, scoring 222 runs in 10 innings at an average of 22.20 and a strike rate of 121.
‘What a comeback it will be to have it in Chennai’
This poor form continued in 2026 as well. Still, Karthik believes this could be the perfect time for change, especially in Chennai. He feels that Sanju can play big innings in Chennai.
Dinesh Karthik said in his Instagram video, “What a beautiful story it would be if he actually stopped playing. Last year was very tough for him. I feel for the kid because he was doing so well. Then Shubman Gill replaced him and after that, when he got the chance again, Sanju didn’t capitalize on it. But we know Sanju Samson can be such a weapon, especially against spin.”
The RCB mentor and batting coach further added, “And now after moving from RR to CSK, after becoming the adopted son of Chennai, the Chennai crowd will love it. If Sanju plays and performs well then I couldn’t be happier for him because he is going to spend the next three months in Chennai. What a great comeback it will be to have him in Chennai.”
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Sanju Samson can fix India’s spin weakness: Karthik
Meanwhile, Karthik also feels that India’s biggest problem in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 is batting against spin. He openly blamed Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Verma’s struggles in the middle overs for the team’s poor batting performance in the tournament.
The cricket pundit pointed out that India averaged 39 against spin last year at a strike rate of 160, but in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026, this number dropped to an average of 17.50 at a strike rate of 120. This is worrying and in this situation, Sanju Samson can save him, as he is a natural attacker against spin.
Karthik signed off by saying, “Surya and Tilak have not got going, and Surya’s strike rate is only 103, and Tilak’s strike rate is less than 100. But both are quality spin players. So, adding a Sanju will get the best out of Surya and Tilak batting in the middle order. Our strike rate and average against spin in this World Cup is not good enough, and that is an area of weakness for India.”