Sanju Samson has been performing very poorly in the ongoing series against New Zealand, where he has failed to deliver promising performances. Indian cricket legend WV Raman has pointed out the flaws in Sanju Samson’s batting and what changes he needs to make in his approach ahead of the World Cup.
India has been continuously winning matches in the T20 format since the ICC T20 World Cup. He was soon overtaken by Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as people started taking over the legacy in the 20-over format.
However, despite the victory, there have been many changes in India and the biggest change has been seen in the batting order. Gautam Gambhir has tried many batsmen, and he is yet to find a promising and consistent opening pair, with just 10 days left for the World Cup to begin.
Sanju Samson is in very poor form in the New Zealand series.
India were facing fan outrage due to the exclusion of Sanju Samson from the Indian T20I playing eleven as they chose Jitesh Sharma as the wicketkeeper and lower-order batsman from the Australia series. Samson was ruled out for about 6 matches before being brought back into the team.
Sanju Samson played the last match of the South Africa series, where he along with fellow opener Abhishek Sharma gave a good start to India. However, his form seriously lacked in the NZ series, where he scored only 16 runs in 3 matches.
Samson has failed to give India a start in this series, while Ishan Kishan is his nearest rival and is in great form. He has enthralled fans and cricket pundits with his captivating performances.
WV Raman opines on Samson’s recent struggles, “The change in pace has troubled Sanju Samson.”
Former India opener WV Raman, one of the most respected voices in the country when it comes to batting technique, spoke with PTI. He has recognized that Sanju has struggled against the change of pace.
“Sanju has a bit of a problem on both the technical and mentality front. The bat speed on his downswing is similar for bowlers of different speeds. This will help him have success against bowlers clocking 130 kmph.
When Raman was asked whether the problem was of a technical nature or one of mindset, he said, “But with any change in speed, above or below 130 kmph, an issue will arise. The solution is to adjust the speed of his bat on the downswing as per the speed of the ball. Once he does that, he should be fine.”
Raman rules out change in batting order as a possible disruption to Samson’s form
Apart from this, WV Raman has ruled out the possibility of his form deteriorating after being sent to the middle order. He felt that players of this generation often prefer to have a flexible front.
“In T20Is, he is suitable for the top three, and he should have no problems on that front because that is where he can perform at his best. These days, these boys talk about adaptability and being able to bat anywhere.
“There should be no problem as long as you are not sent down the order,” Raman said.
He also explained how the intense competition for the role of wicketkeeper-batsman in the white-ball team might have challenged him mentally. Raman believed that he had enough talent and was a player capable of performing well for India, but he failed, possibly due to extreme pressure.
Also read: Ravichandran Ashwin gives big warning to Sanju Samson before ICC T20 World Cup 2026