T20 World Cup 2026 - Sunil Gavaskar Gives Blunt Verdict On Sanju Samson Amid India Opener's Poor Form: 'He Needs To Make Improvements'

T20 World Cup 2026: Former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar delivered a blunt assessment of Sanju Samson’s recent struggles, stating that the India opener must work on his technique.

In India’s match against Namibia, the 18th fixture of the T20 World Cup 2026, Samson scored 22 runs off just 8 balls at a strike rate of 275.00, hitting one four and three sixes. His innings ended in the second over when Ben Shikongo dismissed him on Thursday, February 12.

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Sunil Gavaskar Reflects On Sanju Samson's Poor Form

Despite Samson’s brief cameo, the Men in Blue secured a commanding 93-run victory at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Speaking on Star Sports, Gavaskar criticized Samson’s approach, highlighting a recurring flaw. He also praised Namibia for their perfect fielding placements, which helped them to dismiss Samson.

"Sanju Samson has a technical problem. He goes too deep in the crease and plays that flick shot. You can only hope he times it in the gap or it goes for a six. He needs to make improvements, especially when he opens against the new ball. Namibia were clever with their field placements. They set a field to get Samson out. But it was good that he hit some nice shots. That must have given him some confidence. If he plays the next match against Pakistan, he needs to spend more time at the crease," Sunil Gavaskar said.

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India To Face Pakistan In Their Upcoming Match

Samson’s form in T20Is has been inconsistent. Prior to the World Cup, he featured in all five matches of the T20I series against New Zealand but failed to make an impact, leading to his exclusion from the squad. He returned to the playing XI against Namibia after Abhishek Sharma was sidelined with a stomach illness.

So far, Samson has played 58 T20Is, scoring 1,100 runs in 50 innings at a strike rate of 148.84 and an average of 23.91.

India will next face Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2026 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday, February 15.