Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav power Team India to eight-wicket win against NZ

When Gautam Gambhir took charge as head coach, he had made it clear that past reputation will not decide selection.

- TRIDIB BAPARNASH

Shubman Gill's omission from the T20 World Cup squad was the first clear signal of that shift. Now, Sanju Samson finds himself facing the same hard reality after another underwhelming outing in the series against New Zealand.

Samson's returns have steadily gone downhill. Scores of 10 and 6 in the first two matches were followed by a golden duck in the third T20I, even as India wrapped up the series with a dominant eight-wicket victory. The result itself was never in doubt, with India cruising home on the back of a disciplined bowling effort and commanding half-centuries from Abhishek Sharma and captain Suryakumar Yadav, who chased down the below par target of 154 inside 10 overs.

With the 2026 T20 World Cup less than a fortnight away, the ongoing series against New Zealand is being treated as a final audition to lock in roles. In that context, Ishan Kishan’s explosive displays in Raipur and Guwahati have only sharpened the focus on Samson, whose returns at the top of the order have failed to convince.