One can’t drive a car at the same speed all the time

Former India cricketer WV Raman has opined that Sanju Samson has to adjust his bat swing in order to be back among the runs after yet another poor outing in the second T20I against New Zealand in Raipur, on Friday, January 23. The wicket-keeper batter was dismissed for just six runs off Matt Henry’s bowling in the first over of the run chase.

Expectations were high from Sanju Samson after he reclaimed the opening slot in the T20I setup following Shubman Gill’s omission. In the first T20I in Nagpur, he was dismissed for 10 runs, courtesy of a soft dismissal in the second over. Another poor score in the series has now put some serious pressure on the wicket-keeper, especially with Ishan Kishan smashing a 32-ball 76 recently.

WV Raman opined that Sanju Samson must adjust his bat swing according to the pace of the delivery.

“Samson will be inconsistent as long as he doesn’t adjust the speed of his bat on the downswing in relation to the pace of the ball,” WV Raman posted on X.

“In simple terms one can’t drive a car at the same speed all the time, everywhere,” WV Raman added.

On both occasions, Samson has perished while trying to take on the infield, but failing to clear the infield each time. In the second T20I, he tried to clear the mid-on fielder, but could only make contact with the inside half of the bat, leading to a simple catch on the edge of the ring.

Whereas, in the first T20I, he had tried to flick Kyle Jamieson over midwicket, but could not get the desired height as it landed straight to Rachin Ravindra.

Sanju Samson averages only 13.00 as an opener in T20Is since 2025

Since the start of 2025, Sanju Samson has featured in eight T20Is as an opener, beginning with the home series against England. While he has been among the runs in the Kerala Cricket League (KCL) and the domestic circuit, the runs have not come for him in international cricket.

He has scored only 104 runs in those eight T20Is at the top of the order, with an average of just 13. The wicket-keeper has recorded four single-digit scores during the time frame, and could be in deep trouble if the pattern continues.