Irfan Pathan, the former India all-rounder, backed Sanju Samson on deserving a consistent position in the batting order. The star further emphasised that Samson should be provided more chances to unwind his potential. He called the middle-order decision ‘unfair’.
In an interview with RevSportz, Pathan said, “Personally, I would like to see Sanju Samson getting some runs and getting the position which he is there for a long period of time, because what happened was unfair to him, right? If Samson does not score runs and the team management replaces him with Ishan Kishan, you can understand that decision.”
Pathan also expressed his preference for Tilak Verma’s presence in the squad and lauded him for his ability to stay persistent under pressure. Verma was ruled out against the New Zealand series due to injury. However, he is expected to make his appearance for the World Cup.
“I think this approach is really good, but I really think in this team, guys like Tilak Varma are very important. Because when there is pressure, or when the ball starts to grip, he will come into play, because he plays percentage cricket. In this team everyone plays aggressively, which is fantastic, but you need a player like Tilak Varma,” Pathan added.
Sanju Samson is struggling in the T20I series against New Zealand. He has scored only 40 runs in 4 matches. This poor form has led fans and experts to question his place in the 2026 T20 World Cup squad.
