Sanju Samson has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. He has failed to score runs in 2026 and has struggled with form in the 2025 season as well. Firstly, he was dropped to an unusual batting position to fit in Shubman Gill in the side. After that, he was out of the team as well. But ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup, he was put back in the side and also opened the innings.
In the recently concluded home series against New Zealand, the wicket-keeper batter scored 46 runs in five innings that he played against the Kiwis, with his average dropping to 9.20. He has faced criticism from various former cricketers and pundits, with the recent one to add to the list being former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan.
‘We have to blame them for Samson being out of form’- Irfan Pathan
Irfan Pathan has made a huge statement after Sanju Samson’s dismal performance in the T20I series against the Kiwis. He believes that the Indian selectors are also to be blamed for the poor run of Sanju Samson, when he was dropped for Gill when the former was in good form.
Irfan Pathan stated on the recently uploaded video on his YouTube channel, “As for Sanju Samson, he hasn’t scored runs. A batter’s struggles due to two things. Firstly, a batter’s mindset is not in the right space and secondly due to technical faults. A batter who was not consistent but when he did, thrashed three centuries at the top and was asked to bat at the lower order due to some other player. We credited the selectors for Ishan Kishan but we have to blame them for Samson being out of form.”
“If you bring in a player into a position where another player has scored and there is a change of position, the problem arises. That’s what happened to Samson. Players who play domestic cricket can relate to this. When you have performed and another player is picked in your place, you either get upset or lose or confidence. You haven’t done anything wrong but your place is always in question.”
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Irfan Pathan points out the reason for Sanju Samson’s poor form
Irfan also pointed out the fact that no team would want their opener to be out of form and not score runs ahead of the major tournament. He also stated that Samson’s batting stance is creating problems for him to score runs on the offside, as he got out while playing on the leg side.
Irfan further added, “Samson was in no fault when he played regularly. Now he is not in form. Samson is not looking mentally right and there are technical deficiencies too. No team will want an opener in their XI struggling for runs and is struggling with two things. The onus is on the selectors.
“For Ishan Kishan, the selectors deserve credit and they should be discredited for Samson. If you look at his stance, he is playing with a closed bat face. If the bat face is slightly closed, it’s okay but it is closed far too much. When he is playing, the bat face is closed even on impact point.”
“That’s why Samson is getting bowled and is struggling to play on the off-side. The bottom hand is tight, resulting in a closed face and he must work on it. He got out in the fifth T20I because the bat face closed at the leg side. He had also been bowled before in the series and the bat face wasn’t as closed before.”
‘It’s very tough for Sanju Samson and he is unlucky too’- Irfan Pathan
Pathan also believes that Sanju Samson will lose his place in the playing XI in the T20 World Cup, as Ishan Kishan showed excellent form in the series against the Black Caps, scoring 215 runs.
He finally added, “The situation is now such that when Tilak Varma returns he will bat at No.3. Ishan Kishan will bat at the top and everyone must agree due to the form he has shown. It’s very tough for Sanju Samson and he is unlucky too. It was a very good series for India and if one player is not performing, they have a readymade backup. Hence, it’s a strong bench strength.”
