Sanju Samson becoming India's batting leader amid Abhishek's struggles: Irfan Pathan
India Today
T20 World Cup: Irfan Pathan has said that Sanju Samson has become India's batting leader amid Abhishek Sharma's struggles with the bat during the T20 World Cup 2026. Samson scored 89 to help India beat England in the semi-final in Mumbai.
Irfan Pathan has claimed that Sanju Samson has taken on the role of being India's batting leader after Abhishek Sharma's struggles in the T20 World Cup 2026 continued. Samson scored 89 against England, following up on the 97 he scored against the West Indies, which helped India make it to the final of the tournament. The wicketkeeper now has 232 runs in four matches, with an average of 77.33 and a strike-rate of 201.73.
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On the other hand, Abhishek scored nine runs in the match against England as he failed yet again in the T20 World Cup. The southpaw has 89 runs from seven matches so far. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Pathan praised Samson for coming out on top in the match-up against Jofra Archer in the contest.
"Before this match, that matchup looked troublesome. But Samson didn’t fight Archer’s pace — he embraced it. He played behind square, especially when the ball was outside leg stump, which made it easier for him. There were slower balls too, so he didn’t force shots straight. Instead, he targeted the leg side on shorter lengths."
"There was a moment when Harry Brook dropped his catch and Archer could have dismissed him again. But after that, the shots Samson played — especially the back-foot six against Archer’s slower ball through the off side — were outstanding," said Pathan.
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