Published on: Jul 9, 2026 5:56 pm IST|Updated on: Jul 9, 2026 5:56 pm IST
The pressure is mounting heavily on the reigning T20 World Champions, Team India, under the new leader, Shreyas Iyer. Trailing 0-2 in the five-match series against England after a bruising 125-run defeat in Nottingham, Team India faces a must-win situation heading into the fourth T20I at the County Ground in Bristol on July 9th. With the current batting lineup struggling to find its rhythm on English pitches, passionate fans and experts are demanding the return of wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson.
However, former Indian assistant coach Abhishek Nayar has sent out a clear warning to the team management. He believes that while bringing Samson back might sound like a quick fix, doing it the wrong way will only cause more damage to the team combination.
Following India’s recent batting collapses, cricket pundits have suggested benching out-of-form youngster Tilak Varma to accommodate Sanju Samson in the middle order. When asked if India should make this switch for the Bristol T20I, Nayar strongly disagreed with the idea of playing Samson lower down the order.
Nayar believes that every batsman has a specific zone where they thrive, and Samson is strictly a top-order player. He explicitly stated:
“I really feel that if you have to get Sanju Samson back in, you want to position him in a place where he can succeed. Now, just because you want to bring him in, you’re going to bat him at No. 4, 5 or 6. It’s not something he’s done a lot. It’s not something he’s been successful at.”
Nayar added that if the team management cannot promise him a spot in the top three, it is far better to leave him out of the playing eleven entirely and support the current group.
“He’s been best suited when he’s opened or batted in the top three. So if you aren’t giving him that position, then I feel it’s better that you don’t play Sanju Samson and instead stick with the kind of batting line-up India has,” he added.
Nayar’s logic is fully backed by hard cricket numbers. Samson has built his reputation as a dangerous top-order batsman who loves using the powerplay overs to clear boundaries.
At Number 5: In the 14 times he has batted here, his average plummets to a dismal 15.33.
Clearly, forcing Samson into a finishing or middle-order role won’t do any good to the batter. His numbers beyond the top three also suggest the same story.
Instead of reshuffling the entire batting card in panic, Nayar advised head coach Gautam Gambhir and the support staff to focus on a different issue: reading English playing conditions. India has displayed immense power when batting first, crossing the 190-run mark twice on this tour. However, their real collapse happens while chasing, as the batsmen have repeatedly failed to assess the pitch conditions and find the right tempo to score.
With teenage prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi currently opening the innings alongside Abhishek Sharma, the top three slots are completely locked up by left-handers. Therefore, unless India decides to completely overhaul its opening pair, Sanju Samson is highly unlikely to find a place in the playing XI for the Bristol showdown.