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With the countdown coming 2026 T20 World Cup Former India stalwart enters final week Suresh Raina A bold prediction was made on who can end the country’s 16-year World Cup drought. Due to Raina’s own 101 confrontation South Africa In 2010, no Indian had broken the three-digit mark in the history of the event.
Suresh Raina unexpectedly named India’s 2026 World Cup T20 scorer
Despite his recent poor performance in the ongoing series New ZealandRaina fully supports Sanzhou Samson. In an interview with News18 on January 29, 2026, Raina backed the Kerala goalkeeper to join the World Cup Centurions exclusive club.
“Sanju Samson can be in this list. He opens the batting, has the ability. He has scored a century in South Africa. Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan Kishan is among them. But somehow, I think Sanju can score a century in this T20 World Cup and I think Sanju has done it over the years whether he plays for India or not. Reyna said.
Raina also compared Samson to the current captain, stating: “Look at Suryakumar Yadav. He has not scored for almost a year. But the coach is still supporting him. I think the same is true for Sanju. If he gets a chance, he will definitely do well.” Reyna concluded.
India’s last dress rehearsal and road to 2026 T20 World Cup
Samson will make his return in the fifth and final T20I against New Zealand on January 31 at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. This match will be Samson’s last chance to repay Raina’s faith before India turns its attention to the official World Cup.
Upcoming cricket matches and events in India
| event | date | Place | detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fifth T20I vs NZ (final decider of the series) | January 31 | Trivandrum | Samson’s home turf |
| Team assembly | February 3 | mumbai | Tilak Varma takes a photo with all the WC players |
| T20 World Cup opener | February 7 | Wankhede Stadium | India vs USA; title defense begins |
| “big shot” | February 15 | colombo | India vs Pakistan; a tight showdown in Group A |
