India’s 50-over question: After T20 World Cup heroics, can Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan break into India’s ODI plans?

As Team India embarks on a new cycle that will culminate in the ODI World Cup next year, will Sanju and Ishan’s T20 WC heroics be good enough for them to be candidates in the set up?
The bubbly of euphoria of the T20 World Cup triumph was still spilling over when Gautam Gambhir was asked whether the current Indian white-ball generation is the best in business. The coach was at his pragmatic best when he said: “I am not so sure when you’ve lost two bilateral ODI series recently.”

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The indications were quite clear. The T20 World Cup win is all fine but it’s time to look forward because India will be judged in the next one-and-a-half years on its ODI performances. Reason: The ODI World Cup in South Africa in October-November 2027.

While the Indian T20 team has been a force of nature in the last couple of years, the ODI team has stuttered a bit. While the Mr Matchwinner for India, Jasprit Bumrah hasn’t played a single ODI since the 2023 World Cup final, the results haven’t always been that convincing.




In 2024, India lost an ODI series in Sri Lanka, one in Australia in 2025 and one at home to New Zealand earlier this year. In between, there was a Champions Trophy triumph in Dubai, but those matches were played in designer spinfriendly conditions which won’t be replicated in South Africa.

That brings us to a pertinent question — is India lacking something in the ODI format?

Given the way new-age whiteball cricket is being played, one may be tempted to say it is the explosivity in the batting department that can be an area of discussion. Of course, ODIs are not T20s -- which is mostly sixth gear cricket -- and you need a little bit of balance in the 50-over format. Still, it won’t be a bad time to ask whether some of the T20 superstars who have the wherewithal to play the longer format should be looked at in ODIs in the lead-up to the World Cup.

The two obvious names that can come up for immediate discussion are that of Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan. Sanju made the difference at the most crucial stages of the T20 World Cup while Ishan is a proven player in 50 overs -- boasting of a highest score of 210 in ODIs. Sanju, on the other hand, has an impressive ODI average of 56.66 and a strike-rate of 99.60.

Former India batter WV Raman feels Sanju has all the elements in his game that can make him a success in ODIs. “He is a terrific player and whatever problems he was having with his temperament, he has addressed that. I am convinced that Sanju has the game to succeed in ODIs,” Raman told TOI.

But then, the question begs: Where is the vacancy? Sanju is essentially an opener and India’s two current ODI openers are Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. Rohit has been a little up and down in the only format that he plays, while Shubman is team captain. Former national selector Devang Gandhi added the name of Yashasvi Jaiswal to the list. “Next in line is Jaiswal and if a slot opens up, how can you give somebody a go ahead of him? I have nothing against Samson, but let him go back to domestic one-day cricket get runs, and then try for an ODI comeback. That’s how the selectors should think,” Gandhi said.

Raman, though, is a believer of backing a player when he is in form. “It’s for the team management to find a place for Sanju. For me, Sanju is good enough for ODIs,” Raman said.

Ishan, meanwhile, may have a little more flexibility in finding a place. The Jharkhand left-hander can play in top-three as well as lower down the order. Additionally, like Sanju, he is a keeper as well and can be a deputy to KL Rahul. “But then, there’s Rishabh Pant. What has Pant done wrong to be dropped from the ODI set-up? These are very talented young players we are talking about and they should be handled with care,” Gandhi said.

Indian cricket will dive deep into IPL in a couple of weeks’ time and as per the recent trend, performances in the two-month tournament will become a serious benchmark for selection across formats.

Ishan, playing at No. 3 for Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Sanju, opening the batting for his new side Chennai Super Kings, will have the opportunity to break every selection door down.

Gandhi, though, argues that shouldn’t be the case.

“Don’t forget, there are hardly any close-in fielders in T20s. The aim of every bowler is containment. It’s not always the case in ODIs,” the former India opener said.



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