Sanju Samson: The Weight of Uncertainty in Indian Cricket

Sanju Samson’s India story has always felt like a highlights reel without a full film. Moments of pure class, nights when he lit up the biggest stage, followed by long stretches of uncertainty where his place in the XI – and sometimes even in the squad – seemed to evaporate without warning.

Now, one of Indian cricket’s sharpest voices has put a spotlight on what that does to a player’s mind.

Ravichandran Ashwin has watched Samson’s career unfold from close quarters. For him, this is not just about numbers or selection calls. It is about a decade-long tug-of-war between talent and trust.

“He must be experiencing difficult mental battles,” Ashwin said, reflecting on Samson’s journey. The line hangs heavy, because the evidence is all there.

A decade of stop-start chances

Samson first walked into the India dressing room in 2014. Young, gifted, and already carrying the tag of a future star from Kerala, he looked like someone who would grow into a long-term presence across formats.

That never quite happened.

Across the years, Samson has slipped in and out of squads, formats and batting orders. Strong performances have not always led to extended runs. Poor outings have often been punished quickly.

Ashwin framed it bluntly. If you are Samson, how do you process what has happened over the last two years? You shine at the World Cup. You cope better than most on a tricky tour of Ireland. Then one failure in England, and you are out.

For a player who knows he does not have the cushion of reputation or seniority, every innings can feel like a trial. One bad night, and the door closes again.

From World Cup peak to the bench

The contrast around the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is stark.

Samson was not just good at that tournament. He was named Player of the Tournament. On the biggest T20 stage, wearing India colours, he delivered exactly what fans and selectors had been demanding for years: end-product under pressure.

He followed that with impressive displays on the tour of Ireland, where most batters struggled. Samson still found a way to stand out.

Then came the slide.

Three consecutive failures in T20Is. In July, for the second T20I against England, India left him out of the playing XI and turned to young Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Samson returned for the final match of that series, but the message was clear: his spot was no longer secure.

The next squad list underlined it. No Samson for the T20Is in Zimbabwe. A Player of the Tournament at a World Cup, suddenly watching from home.

His next chance arrived against Afghanistan. Back in the XI for the opening T20I, he lasted eight balls. Ten runs. Another innings, another round of questions.

The pattern repeated: a door opens, he walks through, one stumble, and it slams behind him.

The invisible contest with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

Ashwin believes there is another layer of pressure at work – one that does not show up on scorecards.

In his view, Samson is not only playing for runs; he is playing against a narrative.

When Samson scores, Ashwin notes, the reaction from some corners is almost triumphant: people rush to say they “told you so” long ago. When he fails, the tone flips. He is branded inconsistent. The knives come out quickly.

And lurking in the background is the comparison with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

“You are never sure,” Ashwin said, whether the criticism is really about Samson’s failure or about Sooryavanshi missing out because Samson is in the XI. That kind of discourse can eat into a player’s confidence. Every innings then carries double the weight – your own form, and someone else’s absence.

For Samson, that must feel suffocating. Every run judged, every dismissal turned into a referendum on his entire career.

A career at a crossroads

Samson’s story is no longer just about selection. It is about how Indian cricket handles a player who has already shown he can dominate a global tournament, yet still walks into every series as if it might be his last.

He has the numbers from the World Cup. He has the backing of senior voices like Ashwin. He has the game to change matches in a handful of overs.

What he does not yet have is the one thing that allows a player to breathe: a settled, sustained run without the constant threat of the axe.

For now, Samson remains caught between heroics and scrutiny, between highlight reels and hard questions. The talent is not in doubt. The real question is whether he will finally be given the kind of runway that matches his ability – or whether his India career will continue to live on the edge of a knife.