Sanju Samson and rest of India stars - (Source: AFP)
The past couple of days have been tough for India fans as the Men in Blue are on the brink of an early exit from the T20 World Cup 2026, courtesy of their shocking defeat against the Proteas. The batters have come under heavy scrutiny, particularly Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma, who are struggling for runs in the ongoing edition.
Abhishek Sharma has scored 15 runs in four innings, while Tilak Varma has failed to replicate his 2025 Asia Cup heroics, with only 107 runs in five matches. Now, India have just two more matches left in the Super 8, and there are demands to replace either of the two players with Sanju Samson, who has been warming the bench in this tournament.
India Coach Drops Big Hint On Samson’s Inclusion
For the unversed, Samson was not the first choice for the management and has played just a solitary game in the T20 World Cup 2026 in Abhishek Sharma's absence, where he played a 22-run knock.
In the latest events, India's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak addressed the media before the Zimbabwe clash and dropped a big hint on Samson’s inclusion in the upcoming match.
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“There have been discussions around that, and we are thinking. We will see because we never decide the team early. But there will be thought,.” remarked Kotak when asked about Sanju Samson.
Rinku Singh’s Unavailability A Big Hope for Sanju Samson
India have a selection headache at the moment as Rinku Singh didn’t train with the team on Tuesday as he left the camp to fly back home to be with his ailing father, who is battling stage-four liver cancer. Therefore, one of the options was to slide Sanju Samson to open the innings with Abhishek and shift Ishan Kishan back to 3 in Rinku’s unavailability.
Although, in the same presser, Kotak also provided a big update on Rinku and stated that the KKR star will rejoin the team on Wednesday, making him available for selection for the Chepauk game.
“Rinku Singh is joining the team this evening. He went back home because his father is not well,” he added.
Why Is Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma's Spot In Danger For Zimbabwe Match?
It has been a high time since India batters start to perform. Abhishek has been giving results for the past two years and his struggle in T20 World Cup is hard to digest. The management also has a limit to which they can present opportunities to Sharma, because Sanju Samson has 22 runs in one innings, which is more than runs scored by Abhishek combined in four innings.
Similarly, for Tilak Varma, he has a relatively easier role to anchor and yet he is failing to score big. The southpaw has struggled to rotate the strike, which has become a big headache for the team.
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