The cricket fraternity and the fans are actively debating on the topic of Will Sanju Samson play in T20 World Cup, set to start on February 7. It comes on the heels of Samson’s dismal performance in the T20I series against New Zealand. Samson could garner only 46 runs in five games at an average of 9.20, with a top score of 24. The series could have sealed the deal for him for the marquee event, but the stats failed to justify his selection in the XI. Let’s take a detailed look at the Sanju Samson vs Ishan Kishan battle to be India’s wicket-keeper for T20 World Cup.
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Ishan Kishan’s Sensational form Puts Him Ahead of Sanju Samson
Ishan Kishan made his T20I comeback after more than two years. After losing out on the BCCI contract, he proved his merit in the domestic circuit by leading Jharkhand to a title victory in the 2025 edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. After topping the charts with 517 runs, the southpaw was named in the squad for the T20I series against New Zealand and as a backup wicket-keeper for T20 World Cup.
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Coming in at No. 3 with India at 6/2, Kishan played an electric knock in the 2nd T20 in Raipur. He smashed 76 off 32 balls to help the Men in Blue seal the 209-run chase easily.
A fantastic finish to the T20I series in Trivandrum 🏟️🥳#TeamIndia register a 46-run victory and win the T20I series 4⃣-1⃣ 👏👏
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/AwZfWUTBGi#INDvNZ | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/SktrGoq0Dp
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 31, 2026
The final T20I witnessed Kishan slamming his maiden century, hitting 103 off 43, boosting India to a mammoth total of 271. He finished the series as the second-highest run-scorer with 215 runs in four games at a strike rate of 231.18.
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Meanwhile, Samson struggled for form and consistency, and his patterns of dismissals surprised everyone. The right-hander looked out of confidence to score runs, despite being preferred ahead of Shubman Gill and even keeper Jitesh Sharma for the showpiece tournament.
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Samson generally went deep inside the crease even before the ball was bowled, and his front foot movement was wayward, which affected him badly. In the third game of the T20I series, he was dismissed for a golden duck after Matt Henry went through his gates with a good-length delivery.
Meanwhile, the 31-year-old was batting well in the 4th T20I, but he exposed his stumps, and the minimal foot movement ensured Kiwi skipper Mitchell Santner beat his outside edge to break the furniture and send him back for 22.
Sanju Samson’s Stats in T20I Series Against New Zealand
| Matches | Runs | AVG | SR | HS |
| 5 | 46 | 9.2 | 135.29 | 24 |
Kishan’s confidence was completely different, despite him being under pressure after a comeback. He depicted intent and ability to clear the fences, which helped in increasing the team’s tempo, and India eventually won the series 4-1.
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With these terrific performances, the debate for Sanju Samson vs Ishan Kishan as a wicket-keeper for T20 World Cup has settled. Kishan is likely to be the first-choice keeper for the Indian team in the tournament after he served as the glovesman in the final T20I as well. However, a big question is Will Sanju Samson play in T20 World Cup only as a pure batter after the arrival of Tilak Varma.
Tilak Varma’s Recovery Further Dampens Sanju Samson’s Prospects
Tilak Varma underwent urgent testicular surgery last month and then underwent rehabilitation at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. In the last week of January, he resumed physical training and made steady progress in his recovery.
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The prospects of Will Sanju Samson play in T20 World Cup slimmed down further after Varma participated in the United States of America’s (USA) warm-up game against India A in Navi Mumbai on Monday. Varma scored 38 off 24 balls and stitched a 113-run stand with Narayan Jagadeesan (104), as India A posted a 238-run total. Then, they restricted the USA to 200 and won by 38 runs.
At the post-match presentation of the final T20I game against New Zealand in Trivandrum, captain Suryakumar Yadav expressed his thoughts on Tilak Varma’s return. According to Yadav, he talked with Varma and feels he is shaping up well for the tournament. He also added that it will be a good headache to have all 15 fit players on the match day. Surya’s comments definitely gave a signal that if Varma is indeed fit, he might make it to the final XI for India’s first game against the USA side on February 7.
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However, it will be interesting to see the performances of the trio of Samson, Kishan, and Varma in the warm-up fixture against South Africa on February 4 in Navi Mumbai. If Samson manages to impress SKY and coach Gautam Gambhir, he might make it to the XI. But, as per the performances in the New Zealand series, Kishan is the winner in the Sanju Samson vs Ishan Kishan debate and could don the gloves for the Men in Blue in the T20 World Cup.
