Sanju Samson is going through yet another testing phase in his international career, one that has once again put his temperament and consistency under the scanner. The Kerala wicketkeeper-batter earned a recall as an opener after the selectors decided to drop Shubman Gill for the New Zealand T20I series and the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 at home.

However, the opportunity has not translated into runs so far, with Samson struggling to make an impact at the top of the order against the Black Caps. Across his last four innings in the five-match series, Samson has managed scores of 10, 6, 0 and 24, numbers that underline a difficult run with the bat.

The past 12 months, in particular, have been challenging for the right-hander. His last standout performance came in November, when he smashed a brilliant century against South Africa in Johannesburg. Apart from a half-century against Oman in the Asia Cup last year, meaningful contributions have been hard to come by, adding to the pressure around his place in the side.

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Despite the lack of runs, the Indian team management has continued to show faith in Samson, believing in his match-winning potential. Adding weight to that backing, former India batter Suresh Raina has publicly thrown his support behind the 31-year-old, expressing confidence that Samson can rise to the occasion on the biggest stage.

Raina, notably the first and only Indian cricketer to score a century in T20 World Cup history, believes Samson has the tools to join that elite list. “Sanju Samson can be in that list,” Suresh Raina said while discussing possible century-makers for India at the 2026 T20 World Cup. “He opens the batting and has the ability to score 100. He has already scored two centuries in South Africa. Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan are also strong contenders, but I believe Sanju can make a century in this T20 World Cup.”

Drawing a comparison with Suryakumar Yadav, Suresh Raina highlighted how patience from the team management can often turn fortunes around.

“Form is temporary,” he said. “Sanju has that class. He has performed over the years and scored plenty of runs in T20 cricket. Look at Suryakumar Yadav—he went through a long lean patch, but the coach backed him and he came back stronger. I think the same can happen with Sanju.”

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Samson has been named in India’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad and is expected to open alongside world No.1 T20I batter Abhishek Sharma. With three T20I centuries already to his name from 55 matches, Samson now has a golden chance to silence critics and justify the faith shown in him when it matters most.