New Delhi: All eyes on you Sanju Samson The wicketkeeper-batsman will be under pressure from the batsmen when India play the fifth and final T20I against New Zealand at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday. Samson, who have endured a slump in form but are under intense scrutiny, will be hoping that their enthusiastic home support will help them regain form at a crucial stage in the series.The right-hander has endured a difficult season with New Zealand, scoring just 40 points in four games so far. Samson is part of India’s broader plans for the 2026 T20 World Cup and his struggles have drawn criticism from fans and pundits alike, with some even questioning his place in the World Cup set-up.

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan supported Samson and argued that batsmen need consistency in their orders. Pathan felt it was unfair that Samson was moved to the middle order early and stressed that he should be given a longer rope to find his rhythm.While Pathan believes Samson should be supported, he also acknowledged that the team management has made decisions to rely on Samson. Ishan Kishan It would be no surprise if the runs continued to dry up.“Personally, I would like to see Sanju Samson score runs and stay in that position for a long time, because what happened is unfair to him, right? If Samson doesn’t score runs and the team management replaces him with Ishan Kishan, I would understand the decision,” Irfan Parsan told RevSportz.Pathan also stressed the importance of having a player like Tilak Varma in the team and praised the youngster’s temperament and ability to handle high-pressure situations. According to the former cricketer, Tilak has also drawn praise for the way he has evolved his game while adding balance and reliability to the batting unit.Tilak was ruled out of the New Zealand series due to injury but is expected to recover in time for the World Cup, a boost for India as they look to fine-tune their combination.“I think this approach is really good, but I really think a player like Tilak Varma is very important in this team, because when the pressure is on or when the ball starts to come in, he will come into play, because he plays percentage cricket. Everyone plays aggressively in this team, which is great, but we need players like Tilak Varma,” Pathan added.For Samson, Saturday’s contest is a timely opportunity to silence his critics and strengthen his position in India’s plans.