India held an optional training session on the eve of the fourth T20I against New Zealand at the ACA–VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday. With New Zealand quick Lockie Ferguson undergoing a fitness drill under the afternoon sun, the Indian players hit the nets as conditions eased closer to sunset.
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Sanju Samson was firmly in the spotlight as he walked out early to bat alongside Shreyas Iyer. Under pressure after three failures in as many games, the wicketkeeper-batter appeared relaxed and in good spirits. A small group of fans greeted him with chants of “Sanju bhai”, while the familiar “CSK, CSK” echoes followed, despite Vizag being far from his future IPL home. Samson acknowledged the crowd before getting down to business, batting fluently for nearly 30 minutes against Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakravarthy and Arshdeep Singh. He looked assured, confident and far removed from the uncertainty that has marked his recent outings in the middle.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir, bowling coach Morne Morkel and captain Suryakumar Yadav kept a close watch as Samson went through his routine. Moments earlier, Morkel had reiterated the team management’s backing for the Kerala batter.
“Sanju is one knock away from finding his form again. Form is temporary,” Morkel said. “He’s training well and hitting the ball cleanly. Building towards the World Cup, it’s important the boys peak at the right time.”
Samson’s journey in the past year has been far from smooth. Despite scoring three centuries in the 2024–25 season, he lost his opening slot during the Asia Cup, was shuffled into the middle order and eventually dropped. He was reinstated only after Shubman Gill’s struggles forced a rethink ahead of the T20 World Cup. While opening partner Abhishek Sharma has torn apart New Zealand’s bowling, Samson has managed just 16 runs across three innings, but none of that seemed to weigh on him during training in Vizag.
Samson later returned for a second stint, focusing on throwdowns and playing straight through the ‘V’. He then donned the gloves, impressing during wicketkeeping drills under the floodlights, plucking high catches with ease and drawing applause from fielding coach T Dilip.
Shreyas Iyer, meanwhile, made the most of the optional session. Yet to feature after replacing the injured Tilak Varma, the Punjab Kings captain looked determined to stay in the World Cup mix. He batted aggressively, dispatching spinners and quicks alike, including a towering hit off a Varun Chakravarthy half-tracker. Even after making way for bowlers, Shreyas returned for another round, focusing on short-ball play and striking cleanly.
Axar Patel also returned to batting for the first time since injuring his finger in Nagpur. Starting cautiously, the all-rounder soon found his rhythm and looked comfortable against both pace and spin, showing no visible discomfort and boosting hopes of a return as early as the fourth T20I.
The mood in the Indian camp was unmistakably upbeat. After ruthless run chases in Raipur and Guwahati, the batters will relish the prospect of batting on a Vizag surface known for high scores. Many will be hoping Samson joins the run-fest before the series moves to his hometown, Thiruvananthapuram, later this week.
