India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has hinted at bringing back Sanju Samson into the playing XI amid the team’s persistent opening failures. India suffered their first defeat of the T20 World Cup 2026, going down by 76 runs to South Africa national cricket team in their opening Super 8 fixture at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The batting once again struggled while chasing a stiff target of 188, as the Men in Blue were bundled out for 111 in 18.5 overs. India’s batting woes have troubled them throughout the tournament, with Abhishek Sharma registering three ducks in four innings, while Tilak Varma has failed to produce a significant score at the top of the order.
The early match-up against spin has hurt India badly, as they have lost a wicket in the first over in each of their last three fixtures. Amid the team’s struggles, Ten Doeschate suggested that Samson could return to the playing XI. Samson featured in the fixture against Namibia and scored a quickfire 22 off 8 balls before being dismissed.
“Yeah, of course we have. And look, in the five outings we’ve had now, four teams have opened with part-time off-spin and it’s brought a wicket every time, apart from the USA game where we lost Abhishek without score in any case. So to start every innings nought for one — I think it’s literally been nought or a couple of runs for one every time — is obviously putting pressure on the players,” said Ten Doeschate at the post-match press conference.
Ten Doeschate added that the team management would discuss the ideal playing combination for the remaining two crucial Super 8 matches in the coming days.
“Look, there’s a lot of inexperience in the team and you want a settled side. These guys have done it all before. They’re all fantastic players. So do you stick or twist? Do you stick with the guys who we feel have performed really well over the last 18 months and who are maybe just short of a few runs now? Or do we twist and bring in Sanju, who’s also a fantastic player and obviously helps tactically by having a right-hander at the top of the order? I’m sure that will be a talking point over the next few days going into these two very important games,” he added.
How has Samson performed since 2025?
Meanwhile, Samson himself has not been in the best of forms in the opening role since 2025, having scored 156 runs from 12 innings at an average of 13, with a highest score of 37. In those 12 outings, he has managed to survive the powerplay only twice.
As a result, the team management face a significant dilemma as they consider recalling Samson to the playing XI, with India in desperate need of a win against Zimbabwe national cricket team in their next fixture on 26 February in Chennai.
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