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Congress MP Shashi Tharoor noted that the Indian batter Sanju Samson is out of luck after the right-hander faced another setback, scoring just 6 runs in the high-scoring India vs New Zealand 5th T20I on Saturday. He also lauded Ishan Kishan for his thunderous 42-ball century that helped India post a massive 271-run first-innings total.
Sanju Samson's place in the playing 11 for the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 has been in question, given the batter has been in a poor run of form of late. In the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, Samson could only manage 46 runs at an average of 9.20. His scores in the series read: 10, 6, 0, 24 and 6. Speaking to ANI after the Thiruvananthapuram match, Shashi Tharoor said Sanju Samson appears out of form, while praising India's performance against New Zealand and expressing confidence in the team's readiness for the T20 World Cup. He also lauded Ishan Kishan's brilliant form and described the match as an exciting spectacle. "He's just out of luck it seems. But otherwise for us, the record score on this ground, record score in the entire series, one of the highest scores made in a T20i. So many sixes, so many fours, lots of action...India looks in very good shape for the World Cup and that's why everyone is excited," Shashi Tharoor told ANI. On Ishan Kishan, Tharoor said, "Fantastic! The guy is really talented and you know it's a question of form as well. He's really in form, and of course, Sanju is not in form...But it was a tremendous treat...We are in good shape for the T20 World Cup." Coming to the match, a 43-ball 103 by Ishan Kishan, strong support from skipper Suryakumar Yadav (63 runs off 30 balls) and a five-wicket haul by Arshdeep Singh (5/51 in 4 overs) powered India to a dominant 46-run win over New Zealand in the fifth T20I. India posted a massive 271/5 after opting to bat, with Ishan Kishan sharing a 137-run partnership with Suryakumar. Chasing 272, New Zealand fought back through Finn Allen's explosive 80 off 38 balls, but lost momentum as Arshdeep and Axar Patel (3/33 in 4 overs) struck at regular intervals. Arshdeep claimed his maiden T20I five-for as New Zealand were bowled out for 225 in 19.4 overs. The win helped India clinch the five-match T20I series 4-1. (ANI)
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