Former SRH batter criticises Sanju Samson's technique in 7-wicket loss in NZ vs IND 2026 5th T20I

Former Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) batter Hanuma Vihari called out Team India star Sanju Samson for his technique after the fifth T20I against New Zealand. The Men in Blue lost by seven wickets as the series ended 3-2 in their favor.

In the fifth T20I, India batted first and scored 191/8. New Zealand chased it down in just 18 overs. Both Indian openers failed to get going. Abhishek Sharma was dismissed for one run, while Samson made four. Vihari was particularly disappointed with Samson's technique and criticised him for playing across the line.

"I think India losing the toss made a difference. The ball was moving off the pitch initially. Abhishek was early into the shot. He was hasty and it hit the bottom of his bat. At Hamilton, the breeze also helped, and Adam Milne made use of that initial swing. Samson also stays deep in the crease and lets the ball swing. He should not have tried to play across the line," the former SRH batter said in a video on his YouTube channel.

While it was a one-off for Abhishek, Vihari reckoned that Samson was inconsistent once again. The Men in Blue played spinner Varun Chakaravarthy in place of Axar Patel. However, Varun returned figures of 1/45 from four overs. The former SRH batter also reflected that Varun was exposed with no help off the surface.

"It was a rare failure for Abhishek. Sanju was inconsistent in this series. Again, there were some failures. They played Varun in place of Axar. He was okay in the first two overs, but Phillips targeted him. He was bowling at the same pace, and when there is no turn off the surface, he gets slightly exposed."

Samson scored just 107 runs from five matches at an average of 21.40 and a strike rate of 142.66, with just one half-century.

Former SRH batter highlights positives for India from T20I series

Meanwhile, Hanuma Vihari also reflected on some positives for Team India from the T20I series. He reckoned Abhishek Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, Tilak Varma, and Naman Dhir were good with the bat. He also praised Vaibhav Suryavanshi for his impactful knock in limited opportunities.

With the ball, where India struggled, he reckoned young pacers Prince Yadav and Mayank Yadav were decent, while Arshdeep also did well in some games.

"What are the positives for India? I think Abhishek was one. Shreyas Iyer the batter. Tilak was outstanding under pressure. Nitish had an average series, not an excellent one, but he was decent. Naman Dhir was good. In bowling, I thought Prince was decent. Mayank was decent. Arshdeep did well in bits and pieces. Vaibhav also got a 40 in one match. Vaibhav is getting there. In the chances he gets, he is doing well. There is no harm in waiting," the former SRH batter reflected.

The action will now shift to the ODIs. Both sides will contest a five-match ODI series, beginning Wednesday, November 4.

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