After their T20 World Cup heroics, can Samson and Kishan break into India’s ODI plans?

As India begins a new cycle, culminating in next year’s ODI World Cup, will Sanju and Ishan’s T20 WC heroics be enough to make them candidates?The joy of the T20 World Cup victory is still spreading. Gautam Gambhir Some people ask whether the current white-ball generation in India is the best generation in business. The coach at his most pragmatic said: “I’m not so sure you lost the two bilateral ODI series recently.“Push boundaries with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!The signs are very clear. A T20 World Cup victory is great, but now it’s time to look ahead as India will be judged on their ODI performances over the next year and a half. Reason: ODI World Cup in South Africa from October to November 2027.While the Indian T20 team has performed strongly in the past few years, the ODI team has stuttered a bit. As the winner of the Indian team, Jasprit Bumrah Russia hasn’t played an ODI since the 2023 World Cup final and the results haven’t always been convincing.

India lost one ODI series in Sri Lanka in 2024, one in Australia in 2025 and another at home to New Zealand earlier this year. In between, the Champions Trophy was won in Dubai, but these games were played in conditions designed by the designers to be suitable for spin, a situation that South Africa would not replicate.This brings us to a pertinent question – is there something missing in India’s ODI format?Considering the way white-ball cricket is being played in the new era, one might be tempted to say that explosiveness in the batting department might be an area worthy of discussion. Of course, ODIs are not T20s – which are mainly six-wicket cricket – and you need to maintain a bit of balance in a 50-over format. Nonetheless, now is a good time to ask whether some of the T20 superstars who have the wherewithal to play in the longer format should be considered for ODIs in the run-up to the World Cup.

Two obvious names that can be discussed immediately are Sanzhou Samson and Ishan Kishan. Sanju played a role in the most crucial phase of the T20 World Cup, while Ishan is a proven 50-match player with a highest score of 210 runs in ODIs. Sanju, on the other hand, has an ODI average of 56.66 and a strike rate of 99.60.Former India batsman WV Raman feels that Sanju has all the ingredients that can make him successful in ODIs. “He is a great player and whatever issues he had with his character, he has sorted them out. I believe Sanju has what it takes to be successful in ODIs,” Raman told TOI.But then the question arises: Where are the vacancies? Sanju is essentially an opener and India’s current two ODI openers are Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. Rohit had some up-and-down performances in the only game he played while Shubman was the team captain. Former state elector Devang Gandhi added Yashasvi Jaiswal to the list. “The next one is Jaiswal, how can you get someone else ahead of him if there is space? I have nothing against Samson, but let him come back to domestic one-day cricket and then try to make an ODI comeback. This is how selectors should think,” Gandhi said.However, Raman believes in backing the player when he is in good form. “The team management should find a place for Sanju. For me, Sanju is good enough for ODIs,” Raman said.At the same time, Ishan may have more flexibility in finding a place. The Jharkhand left-hander can be in the top three or ranked lower. Moreover, like Sanju, he is also a wicketkeeper and can serve as KL Rahul’s deputy. “But, there are Ritha Pant. What did Pant do wrong to deserve his removal from the ODI body? These are very talented young players we are talking about and they should be treated with caution. ” said Gandhi.Indian cricket will head into the IPL in a few weeks and going by recent trends, performance during the two-month tournament will serve as an important benchmark for the selection of different formats.Ishan, who plays at No. 3 for Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Sanju, who opens the batting for his new team, Chennai Super Kings, will have a chance to knock down every option gate.However, Gandhi believed that this should not be the case.“Don’t forget, there are hardly any close fielders in T20s. The aim of every bowler is containment. But that is not always the case in ODIs,” the former India opener said.