Sanju Samson’s stocks have been on a steady rise in the T20 format after his stunning revival in the knockout stages of the T20 World Cup earlier this year. So much so that the 31-year-old is now being considered as the potential successor to Suryakumar Yadav as India’s next T20I skipper in the forthcoming cycle.
Samson, who entered the World Cup in February on the back of wretched form, turned the script around for India, starting with a must-win Super 8 match against West Indies in Kolkata with an unbeaten 97 in a tall chase. The Kerala batter then smashed back-to-back scores of 89 against England and New Zealand in the high-pressure setting of the semi-final and final in Mumbai and Ahmedabad, respectively, as India became the first team to defend the title.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has now backed Samson to take over the reins of the T20I side should India veer away from Suryakumar in the road to the 2028 World Cup, slated to be held in Australia and New Zealand. Suryakumar’s dipping form has been a point of concern, while Samson has translated his form into the IPL 2026 season as well, where he has emerged as Chennai Super Kings’ top-scorer in his maiden stint with the side.
Sanju’s coming of age
“India, come the next (T20) World Cup (in 2028), might be looking for a new captain, depending on how Surya goes over the next couple of years,” Shastri said on The ICC Review.
“But Sanju Samson has put himself there for a leadership role because he’s done that in the past for Rajasthan (Royals),” remarked Shastri.
Shastri said the explosive opener who has also cracked two hundreds in the IPL this season will be a sure-shot pick at the top of the order.
“And he’s a certainty in the side, at the top of the order, extremely destructive. So I see him, this is just the start of something more you’ll see from Sanju over the next two or three years. I think he (Samson) has put a lid on all those question marks. There was always ability. People would, in fact, be disappointed because he wouldn’t do justice to that ability,” Shastri remarked.
“But my word this season, the way he’s played after his performance in the T20 World Cup where single-handedly he almost won India games, the big games, the quarter-finals (West Indies, Super 8), semi-finals, the final, and the way he stepped up and the maturity he’s showing now in the IPL, makes him a clear case as far as I’m concerned for leadership in the future.”
