By Prakash Nair 
Melbourne, October 31: Sanju Samson had his chance tonight. It was right there, the big promotion, the spotlight, the belief from the dressing room. And then it was gone in four balls.
He came in at No. 3, ahead of Suryakumar Yadav, a bold shuffle from Gautam Gambhir and the team management. You could tell they wanted to test something. Maybe see if Samson could own that slot before the T20 World Cup. But cricket doesn’t always wait for fair chances. Nathan Ellis sent one in that jagged back, thudded into the pad, and up went the finger. Two runs. Gone.
The ground didn’t roar or boo, it just went quiet.
Another Chapter in a Familiar Story
This has been the rhythm of Samson’s career: the big buildup, the small innings, and then the noise. You can feel the pressure on him before he even takes guard.
InsideSport mentioned Gambhir’s backing that this was a planned test, not a random promotion. Gambhir’s known to trust natural stroke-players. But Samson’s confidence seems to vanish the moment he wears India’s blue instead of Rajasthan’s pink.
Over at Hindustan Times, the verdict was brutal: “not opening him is sabotage.” It sounds dramatic, but it isn’t wrong. Samson’s record is best when he starts. He thrives when the ball is new, when he doesn’t have to overthink. Once he’s pushed down the order, he becomes a different player, cautious, almost too careful.
He’s never been the kind of guy who can rebuild an innings brick by brick. He’s the one who smashes through the door. India keeps asking him to be something else.
The World Cup Cloud
That small score at the MCG might cost him something bigger. According to Samayam Malayalam, Samson’s place in the 2026 T20 World Cup squad is hanging by a thread. There’s too much competition and too little time.
Rinku Singh keeps finishing games. Tilak Varma looks steady under pressure. Jitesh Sharma brings power and energy behind the stumps. Samson, for all his class, hasn’t had that one innings that locks him in.
He’s 30 now. Not the young prodigy anymore, not the automatic pick either. It’s a rough spot too old to be a “maybe later,” too inconsistent to be a “definitely now.”
People keep saying he just needs one big knock. But you can’t live your whole career chasing one innings.
The IPL Angle
There’s another twist brewing. Reports in Samayam Malayalam claim Samson might leave Rajasthan Royals before IPL 2026. If true, Sunrisers Hyderabad are apparently circling. No confirmations yet, but insiders think it’s serious.
It would be the end of an era for Rajasthan. Samson’s been their heartbeat since 2021, the face of their rebuild. He’s taken them to a final, led them with calm, but maybe both sides are ready to move on.
For Hyderabad, it makes sense. They’ve been hunting for an Indian captain, someone steady, experienced. For Samson, it’s a reset, a new room, a new color, a new start.
Sometimes that’s what players need, not another technique session, just a different air to breathe.
A Player Without a Home
What makes Samson’s story sting is that he’s too good to ignore but too inconsistent to trust. He’s the guy every Indian fan wants to see succeed, but somehow the script always slips.
He’s not a hitter in the Rinku mold. He’s not a grafter like Kohli. He’s not as unorthodox as Surya. He’s just Samson, a clean striker who plays proper cricketing shots that deserve more reward than they get.
You watch him time one through extra cover, and for those ten seconds, you remember why everyone believed. Then he nicks one or misjudges a slower ball, and the whole thing resets.
Tonight in Melbourne felt like that again, a story paused halfway.
If he’s leaving Rajasthan, if he’s fighting for a World Cup ticket, if he’s still trying to prove that calm smile hides steel, then the next few weeks could define his whole career.
He’s been the man on the brink for almost a decade. Maybe he still is. But somewhere between the disappointment and the debate, there’s still that flicker, that sense that one clean innings could turn it all around.
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- Prakash Nairhttps://hindustanherald.in/author/prakash/
- Prakash Nairhttps://hindustanherald.in/author/prakash/
- Prakash Nairhttps://hindustanherald.in/author/prakash/
- Prakash Nairhttps://hindustanherald.in/author/prakash/
