How Sanju Samson is set to be dropped as team management drops big hint in 5th T20I

Sanju Samson is set to be shown the exit door from the India Playing XI once Tilak Varma returns from his injury. The team management led by captain Suryakumar Yadav dropped big hint of this development during India’s big win over New Zealand in the final T20I of the series.

India beat New Zealand by 47 runs in the last match at the Greenfield Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram to win the series 4-1. This was the final international assignment of both the sides before the T20 World Cup which begins February 7. And India are set to make a big change at the top for their opening night’s game against the United States of America.

Samson to be replaced by Kishan

Samson had a horrid series against New Zealand where he failed miserably in all five innings he batted. The wicket-keeper batter only scored 6 in the final game and his series total stood at a paltry 46 at an average of less than 10. That the returns came on flat surfaces where other Indian batters feasted, made matters even worse for the right-hander.

The stunning return to the Indian set-up of Ishan Kishan made matters further worse for Samson. Kishan continued his belligerent form in the series with a superb century in the last game.

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After Samson’s failure in the final match, Indian team management gave the wicket-keeping gloves to Kishan in an acknowledgement of not just the left-hander’s form but also the fact that he is being seen as the frontrunner for the position behind the sticks. This means that Samson will spend the T20 World Cup on bench if Varma returns from injury.

Kishan leapfrogged Samson as the leading wicket-keeper batter due to his incredible performance in the series where the left-hander slammed 215 runs at a strike rate of 231.18. His 16 sixes were the most in the series by anyone, despite him playing only four matches.

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When the team sheet came out, Sanju Samson was the first choice wicketkeeper for the full match. but once Sanju failed and Ishan Kishan went on to score a century, the management shifted their decision.

Despite this not being a high-pressure game, and despite Ishan clearly being… pic.twitter.com/z9VSwpoXG4

— Vipin Tiwari (@Vipintiwari952) January 31, 2026

Ishan Kishan, with the gloves behind the stumps, has put a full stop to all speculation over who will be India’s wicketkeeper at the World Cup. The team management seems to have taken its decision. https://t.co/fqhk9KRcCV

— Varun Giri (@Varungiri0) January 31, 2026