Ishan Kishan’s comeback into the Indian team is nothing less than a fairy tale. He came and conquered his chances, and now most probably he will take over the opener spot as Sanju Samson falls short in runs again. In the last match of the series against New Zealand, he only made 6 runs while Ishan Kishan hammered 103 runs in just 43 balls and ended the series as the second-highest run getter playing just four matches.
His purple patch started at SMAT 2025, where he ended as the highest run getter, which also opened the Indian team door for him in the Indian team again.
What’s next for Sanju Samson?
The Sanju Samson dilemma started with Shubman Gill’s inclusion in the team in the Asia Cup, as Shubman failed to deliver in 15 matches constantly, Sanju replaced him and played some handy knocks.
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Just before the New Zealand series, Tilak Varma got injured, and Ishan Kishan took his place at number three. Ishan’s first outing was not that special, but as the series progresses, he unleashes beast mode and makes runs all the way.
Whereas Sanju, who was needed to perform more than anyone else, failed to score runs. It is not the story of one series; whenever Sanju got chances in the middle or opening, most of the time, Sanju failed to deliver to expectations. As a result, in the last match, despite being named as wicket keeper, Ishan Kishan was tested with the gloves. Few experts have taken this move as an indication of confirmation that the test for Sanju ends here. From January 22, 2025, to January 31, 2026, Sanju has played 20 T20Is in the last year. In which he has batted 16 six times and has only been able to score a fifty in the match against Oman at the Asia Cup 2025. His second-best runs are 39 and 37; other than that, he has failed to deliver all the time.
The wild card entry that nobody wanted
Ishan Kishan made his debut for India back in 2021; at that time, Kohli was leading the side with a very different style. Then, Kishan hammered a double hundred against Bangladesh and was also there with the Indian team in the World Cup 2023 as a backup wicket keeper in place of injured Rishabh Pant, who was recovering from a car accident. It was going smoothly until he made disciplinary mistakes, which raised points towards him. Then, suddenly, he left the scene.
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All changed from the domestic tournaments of 2025, where Ishan Kishan unleashed fire, and suddenly his name came in the World Cup squad, and as he is bringing form with the required skills in the table, it will not be wrong to say the World Cup jersey itself is eager to soak Ishan Kishan’s sweat.
