Will Sanju Samson Return to Form on his Home Ground in IND vs NZ 5th T20I?

India's wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson has come under a firing line for his poor performances in the ongoing T20I series against New Zealand. With him getting the opening spot back, it was expected that he would seal the spot ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.

But that hasn’t been the case as Samson has failed drastically in the four games that he has played so far in this series. In the opening match of the series, he scored just 10 runs off 7 balls before being removed by Jamieson.

In the second match in Raipur, Sanju Samson managed just 6 runs and that too, he was dropped once. Things turned bad for him as he got out for a golden duck in the third game, getting out even before the scorecard was displayed.

Samson looked decent in the fourth game in Vizag and had a great opportunity to return to form as he had a good start. However, he failed to convert that as he got out on just 24 with India losing their first match.

Will Sanju Samson Return to Form on his Home Ground?

With just 40 runs under his belt in the series at an average of 10, time is ticking for Sanju Samson. This is because Ishan Kishan has looked a class apart in the series and has played a major role in India sealing the series inside three games.

Many experts have backed Kishan to open the innings for India over Sanju Samson in the T20 World Cup 2026 due to his explosive starts and current form. With Tilak Varma all set to come back soon, only one among Kishan and Samson is expected to make it to the XI for the tournament. Both are among the best wicketkeepers in India and it remains to be seen who gets the nod.

While Kishan has proved his worth in the IND vs NZ series, Sanju Samson will have one last opportunity as there is one more game left in the series. The match will be played at Samson’s home ground at Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday, January 31.

There will be no better stage for the talented right-hander to get runs under his belt and head into the T20 World Cup 2026 high on confidence. He also got a special welcome from captain Suryakumar Yadav at the airport as India arrived in Thiruvananthapuram for the last match.

Sanju Samson Record in Home Ground at Thiruvananthapuram

Although Samson is yet to play a T20I game in Thiruvananthapuram, he has already played several matches there. This is where he started his journey as one of the best T20 batsmen in the world. As result, he knows the conditions inside out and would fancy himself to score runs and help his team win the last game of the series.

He recently played in the Kerala Premier League there and was at his best. The keeper-batter slammed 368 runs in 6 matches that he played at an average of over 73 and a strike rate of 186. Not only this, but he also hit three fifties and one century as well.

He would be rooting for himself to score big at this particular venue and silence all the critics during the IND vs NZ 5th T20I. Considering his record there and the fact that he is due for runs, it’s fair to say that we might see a Sanju Samson special in the fifth T20I.