12 May,2026 11:23 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Sanju Samson (File Pic)
Sanju Samson broke his silence on the competition for his place with Ishan Kishan ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026. Speaking on a CSK podcast, Samson admitted that he felt Ishan Kishan would replace him in India's T20 team during the tournament.
"Honestly, Ishan Kishan came into the squad out of nowhere. He had a great Mushtaq Ali Trophy; he won the championship for Jharkhand, and he has also had a great story, boss," Samson told Abhinav Mukund on the CSK podcast.
"We only look at ourselves, right? I think I have worked day in and day out, but lately, I felt like Ishan had also done the same. After what happened to him over the last two years - he was out of the system - he worked so hard in domestic cricket and worked his way back. He had started scoring runs, and I can admit it on camera that I could feel he was coming for my spot," Samson added.
Samson noted that he came to terms with the fact that Kishan would be the first-choice opener alongside Abhishek Sharma after Kishan scored a century against New Zealand in Thiruvananthapuram shortly before the T20 World Cup 2026.
"In Trivandrum, when he scored that hundred, I was like, âSanju, now you just give it to him, boss. He deserves it more than you do. You got your chances, you didn't score runs, but there is someone who is in tremendous form.' He came out of the Mushtaq Ali Trophy, did everything right to reach there, and then scored a century just before the World Cup started. So now I think, âSanju, you just leave it,'" Samson said.
He saw a significant change during the tournament when Kishan batted at No. 3, and the management reintroduced Samson as an opener to help India counter off-spin.
Samson would then hit three consecutive fifties, including crucial knocks in the semi-final and final, as India became the first team to win the T20 World Cup at home and the first side to successfully defend the trophy.
