Sanju Samson has opened up on how he came to terms after failing to get a place in India’s playing XI at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 following an ordinary display against New Zealand, saying he knew his chances were over once Ishan Kishan recorded consistent performances. Reflecting on his career, Samson mentioned that he could see the selectors favouring Kishan, considering his contributions.

“Ishan came in, and his story was different. He was not even a part of the team. He led Jharkhand to the  Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He was then recalled to the team, and he clicked with the bat. I could see he was moving above me in the pecking order,” Samson told JioStar.

Kishan grabbed the opportunity with both hands while Samson’s low scores in the five-match series against New Zealand ended his hopes of playing in the World Cup.

“You record scores of  24, 6, 6, 10 and 0, and then another guy scored 70 runs, also a hundred.

The next match was in the World Cup. Anyone would want an in-form batter in the team. It was clear that the World Cup was done for me. I could only sit quietly and clap. Whatever had to happen had already happened with me,” he added.

The 31-year-old was disappointed as he lost form when he thought his place in the team was confirmed after an unstoppable run in T20Is.

“You have to be ready for anything when you are an Indian cricketer. Everything can change. The same thing happened. When I was given seven matches, I never thought of scoring three hundreds,” he explained.

Samson further said that success can convince anyone that his place in the team was guaranteed, but he had a different thought process. The setback taught him a big lesson about finding a balance between preparations and mental peace.

“When I scored runs, people said that I was settled. But I couldn’t believe it. Then the New Zealand series came. The T20 format is a funny game. I worked hard thinking my goal was there in front of me and my place in the World Cup was sorted. I put my heart and soul into the shortest format and practised madly. My highest score was 24 in the New Zealand series despite giving everything in five matches,” he mentioned.

Samson realised that practice was not the only answer to come out of the difficult phase in his career. “I was overdoing things and putting myself under pressure. My wife was right when she said that being happy and mentally in a good space is more important than spending hours in the net session. The New Zealand series taught me a lot,” he concluded.

Samson was last seen in action against England, with the batter getting only two matches to prove himself.  He was dropped from the team after not putting enough runs on the board in the two T20Is against Ireland and one against the Harry Brook-led team.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi replaced the senior batter, but even he lasted for three games before the team management decided to recall the Kerala-based cricketer for the fifth and final match.

In another setback for the opener, the selectors dropped him for the upcoming three-match series in Zimbabwe.