Excitement is building among fans in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, as local star Sanju Samson prepares to play his first international match at his home ground, the Greenfield International Stadium. India will face New Zealand in the fifth and final T20I of the series on Saturday, January 31.
Ahead of the match, Samson’s fans have installed a huge cutout of him outside the stadium. Supporters of the 31-year-old also transformed his second T20I century celebration into a massive banner. You can view the cutout here:
Giant Cutout of sanju samson at Greenfield stadium 🔥🏏#indvnz #indvsnz #T20WorldCup2026 #SanjuSamson pic.twitter.com/qrgI8Voenp
— Akshiee (@akshiihere) January 30, 2026
All attention will be on Sanju Samson in the fifth T20I, a pivotal game for the opening batter. Playing in front of his home crowd, he will also be eager to register a significant score after several disappointing performances.
Samson’s recent struggles have sparked discussions ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup. In the ongoing series, he has managed only 40 runs across four innings, scoring 10, 6, 0, and 24.
“Samson Can Hit A Ton” – Former India Star Predicts T20 WC Century
Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina remains India’s sole centurion in men’s T20 World Cups, having scored 101 off 60 balls against South Africa in the 2010 edition. Recently, Raina was asked which Indian batter he believes could score a century in the 2026 T20 World Cup. He chose Sanju Samson, stating (via News18):
“Sanju Samson can be in that list. He opens the batting and has the ability. He has already scored a century (two) in South Africa. Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan are also there. One of them can make it. But somehow, I think Sanju can make a century in this T20 World Cup.”
India’s T20I clash against New Zealand marks their last match before the 2026 T20 World Cup. The Men in Blue will begin their World Cup journey on February 7, facing the United States at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
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