"Sanju is senior player; he is very good": Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak backs struggling Samson ahead of 5th NZ T20I

With the series already in India's pocket at 3-1, India will play their final T20I before the ICC Men's T20 World Cup against New Zealand in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday. While the series has already been sealed, it will help India make a very important choice: whether to persist with Samson, who has been struggling as an opener or to have a red-hot Ishan, who led Jharkhand to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title last year, in their playing XI after the left-hander's fiery run of form since that tournament.

Speaking on Samson during the pre-match presser, Sitanshu said that Sanju is a senior player, and while he could have a dry period, it is the team management's duty to keep him in good headspace. He backed the Kerala star to come good, saying that everyone knows what he is capable of on his day.

"Sanju is the senior player; he is very good. He might not have scored as many runs as everybody would like, but that is part of a cricketing career. Sometimes you have five innings in a row where you score so many runs, and sometimes you have a little dry period," said the batting coach.

"So it is all up to an individual how to keep his mind strong, and obviously our job is to keep him in a good frame of mind, and he practises, and he works hard. So we all know what Sanju is capable of. So there is, I do not have much to say about Sanju since he has been really good for India," he added.

Since last year, Samson has hit a slump, scoring just 262 runs in 19 matches and 15 innings at an average of just 17.46 and a strike rate of over 129, with only three fifties and a best score of 56. This is a very disappointing run of form for Samson after he had struck three centuries in five innings as an opener back in 2024, solidifying his spot as a first-choice opener. But after being omitted in favour of Shubman Gill as a vice-captain and being brought back after Gill's omission from the T20 WC, Samson has not been the same. His last 10 outings as an opener has yielded him only 128 runs in 10 innings and his best score of 37. He has crossed the 20-run mark only three times as an opener since 2025.

On the other hand is Ishan, who has been on a red-hot streak since SMAT 2025/26, during which he top-scored with 517 runs in 10 innings, including two centuries and fifties each, with a century coming in the final. During the 50-over competition, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he scored 155 runs in three innings, including an explosive 39-ball 125 against Karnataka. He managed to carry this ultra-aggressive tempo in Indian colours as well, scoring a counter-attacking 32-ball 76 in the second T20I while chasing 209 runs and another aggressive 13-ball 28 in the third before an injury kept him on the sidelines in the fourth T20I.

With such a magnificent run of form, Ishan has thrown his name in the ring for a spot as a first-choice opener in the T20 World Cup out of nowhere, when he was least expected to.

On Ishan's availability for the fourth T20I, Sitanshu said the batter had done well whenever he got a chance and is "very likely" to play, as he is practising.

"Ishan has been very good whenever he has had opportunities. As an opening batter who keeps wickets, the way he played in these two past innings is very encouraging as in the powerplay, you look for someone who plays like that. Very likely, he will be playing at the moment. Physios and all are there; he is practising. He is very likely to play," he added.

Squads: India Squad: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson(w), Suryakumar Yadav(c), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Harshit Rana, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy New Zealand Squad: Devon Conway, Tim Seifert(w), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner(c), Zakary Foulkes, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy, James Neesham, Michael Bracewell, Lockie Ferguson, Bevon Jacobs, Kyle Jamieson. (ANI)