Former India opener Aakash Chopra feels that Sanju Samson has lost his chance after his defeat in the fifth T20I against New Zealand at the Thiruvananthapuram International Stadium on Saturday, January 31. The wicket-keeper batsman hit six runs in the series final and is now on thin ice ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup.

Sanju Samson was playing on his home turf under incredible pressure. He needed to make a statement after four consecutive defeats on his return, but he looked unlucky against the New Zealand pacers after India elected to bat first.

The 31-year-old lacked timing and decisiveness and inevitably holed the ball deep on the third hole to the returning Rocky Ferguson. The home crowd was shocked and silent when he ended the series with a dismal 46 points in five games, averaging 9.2 points.

Akash Chopra Feel Sanzhou Samson Due to his failure, he lost his highest position, plus Ishan Kishan’s Rising at the other end.

“Yes (Samson was out of the World Cup XI). Of course, he didn’t score runs and more importantly, he didn’t look good in the middle. You could almost feel and sense that there was a pattern where he was getting deep inside the crease against faster bowlers. Both outside and inside edges got him a few runs but he doesn’t look comfortable at all right now,” Aakash Chopra said ESPN CricInfo.

Sanju Samson reached double figures only twice in the series and got a golden duck after being caught by Matt Henry in the third T20I in Guwahati.

Ishan Kishan dominates the bowlers after Sanju Samson’s dismissal in IND vs NZ 2026 5th T20I match

Just after Sanju Samson was dropped early from the match, his wicket-keeper rival Ishan Kishan made the most of his return after missing the fourth T20I. The southpaw took a lot of time at first but eventually dominated the middle of the field.

Kishan is currently unbeaten in 82 matches with a strike rate of 234.29 in just 35 deliveries and has hit 13 boundaries. After 15 overs, India’s current score is 188-3.