India's T20 World Cup 2026 hero, Sanju Samson has been a topic of debate as he got a handful of chances on UK tour before he was rested for the recently-concluded T20I series against Zimbabwe. While Samson is a part of the squad for the upcoming Asian Games 2026 in Japan, there is a long way to go to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2028 in Australia and New Zealand. In a recent interview with JioStar, Samson revealed that he had decided a couple of years ago that he does not intend to be a part of the rat race. He wants to play his way and not be bothered about what others say. He is happy with what he achieved in the T20 World Cup 2026 at home and is not concerned about his place in the 2028 edition of T20 World Cup.
"I realised that there is a constant rat race in our country, and I decided before the 2026 T20 World Cup that I would not be part of it. I just want to enjoy the game. By God's grace, I have achieved a lot. I am 31 now, and I have a few years left. So, I have decided to play on my own terms. No one will tell me how to bat or what to do. Sanju will decide for Sanju," Samson said.
"With all due respect, I will play, enjoy the game, be a good teammate, and support the group, but I will do it my way. After the 2024 World Cup, I did not even expect to play in the 2026 World Cup. I was not in the 14 or 15-man squad at one point. So how can I plan for 2028? If I'm there, if the team needs me, and if I am playing well, things will fall into place. If not, I am deeply grateful. No one can take this achievement (His T20WC Player of the Tournament award) away from me," he added.
Since the T20 World Cup 2026, Samson has played four games. In the Ireland series, he registered scores of 5 and 0. In the T20I series opener against England, he could score just a single. He was benched as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi got to make his T20I debut. Sooryavanshi played three T20Is before Samson was slotted back into the playing eleven for the fifth and final T20I of the series. He finished the series with a 14-ball 27 cameo. Shreyas Iyer-led India ended up losing the T20I series against Ireland and England without a single win in their account.
Will Samson replace Abhishek for left-right combination at top?
In Samson’s absence, Abhishek Sharma has been struggling as well. On the Zimbabwe tour, Abhishek managed to score just 11 runs. He was dismissed by pacer Blessing Muzarabani in all three games. Abhishek has struggled in his last six outings. Also, since the T20 World Cup 2026, he has scored 191 runs from 10 innings. He was not consistent in the T20 World Cup 2026 either. With Abhishek struggling, and a need for a right-handed batter in a lineup stacked with left-handers, Samson may return as opener alongside Sooryavanshi if Abhishek’s struggles continue.
Samson’s T20I numbers for 2026
Despite the recent struggles, Samson averages over 30 in T20Is in the current calendar year. In 2026, he has played 14 T20Is and scored 400 runs at a strike rate of 180.99. He scored three consecutive fifties in T20 World Cup 2026 when he replaced Ishan Kishan as opener. He opened with Abhishek while Kishan batted at no.3.
Also, in his debut season for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), he scored 477 runs from 14 innings, averaging 43.46. His strike rate was an impressive 165.62. While he scored two tons and a fifty, his consistency was a topic of debate again.