2 Indian players who flopped and 1 who starred in the NZ vs IND 2026 T20I series ft. Sanju Samson

Team India got over the line in the recent five-match T20I series against New Zealand by a 3-2 margin. Although they suffered defeats in the last two encounters, the Men in Blue did enough in the first three matches to secure the victory.

It was a mixed bag for India over the course of the series. They didn't have any standout displays, as evidenced by the fact that Glenn Phillips won the Player of the Series award despite the Black Caps finishing on the losing side.

On that note, here are two Indian players who flopped and one who starred in the T20I series against New Zealand.

#3 Star - Abhishek Sharma

India's main man with the bat over the last two years, Abhishek Sharma was close to his best in New Zealand. The left-hander smashed an incredible century, finishing with 197 runs at an average of 39.4 and a strike rate of 223.86.

Abhishek was India's highest run-scorer and also had the highest strike rate of all batters who managed more than 100 runs in the series. He has been excellent across conditions for the Men in Blue and has stepped up in situations where others have failed to deliver.

#2 Flop - Sanju Samson

Abhishek's opening partner, Sanju Samson, had yet another underwhelming bilateral series. The right-hander finished the five-match rubber with just 107 runs to his name at an average of 21.4 and a strike rate of 142.6. Barring his half-century in the opening encounter, he did nothing of note.

Samson needs to be careful. Although head coach Gautam Gambhir is clearly in favor of giving him a long rope, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is knocking the door down for a place in the side. Samson's cheap dismissals and obvious inconsistency aren't helping his cause.

#1 Flop - Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has made a comeback into the Indian T20I side after a couple of good Indian Premier League seasons, but things haven't gone to plan. The swing bowler featured in four matches against New Zealand, picking up just one wicket while leaking runs at an economy rate of 11.25.

Bhuvneshwar couldn't keep the runs down at any phase of the innings, and the usual powerplay threat that he displays for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru was lacking. As the most experienced bowler in the lineup, he was expected to produce the goods in Jasprit Bumrah's absence. But that wasn't the case, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him dropped from the side for the next assignment.

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