As the national selectors and head coach Gautam Gambhir shift their focus toward the 2027 World Cup, Sanju Samson is becoming a significant challenger to Rishabh Pant’s position in the Indian ODI squad.
Pant’s Position Under Pressure
Rishabh Pant, currently leading the Lucknow Super Giants, is at risk of losing his place in the 50 over setup due to ongoing struggles with form in the IPL. While KL Rahul remains the primary wicketkeeper for India in ODIs, Pant has served as the secondary option. Although he was included in the squad for the series against New Zealand earlier this year, a side strain ultimately ruled him out of those fixtures.
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The Rise of Sanju Samson
According to a report in Dainik Jagran, the BCCI selectors are increasingly interested in giving opportunities to Sanju Samson. Samson’s recent contributions were pivotal in India’s 2026 T20 World Cup victory on home soil. With the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa approaching, the team management is prioritizing squad building. India is scheduled to play 20 ODIs leading up to the tournament, beginning with a three match home series against Afghanistan on June 14.
Statistical Comparison and Recent Form
The path back to the ODI format appears difficult for Pant. Since returning from his injury, he has struggled for consistency, managing only 189 runs across eight matches in the 2027 IPL season with an average of 27. Notably, Pant has not participated in an ODI since a match against Sri Lanka in 2024.
In contrast, Samson has captured the selectors’ attention through his T20 World Cup performances and a pair of centuries for the Chennai Super Kings during the 2026 IPL season. The career statistics for both players highlight a clear gap in productivity:
Rishabh Pant: 871 runs in 37 ODIs at an average of 33.50.
Sanju Samson: 510 runs in 16 ODIs at an average of 56.66.
Should Pant be dropped from the ODI squad, he faces the possibility of being excluded from India’s entire white ball framework, having already lost his place in the T20 international side.
India eyes Redemption
The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 is scheduled to be hosted across South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, making it one of the most expansive and logistically significant tournaments in recent memory. The tournament is set to feature 14 competing nations, a step up from the previous edition, with matches spread across multiple venues throughout the three host nations.
For India, the conditions in South Africa present a unique set of challenges. The pitches across venues such as Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban tend to offer considerable assistance to pace bowlers, demanding batters with the technical ability and temperament to handle moving deliveries both in the air and off the surface. This makes the selection of a wicketkeeper batter who can not only anchor the innings but also accelerate when required an absolutely critical decision for the team management.
India’s 2023 World Cup campaign on home soil ended in heartbreak despite an unbeaten run through the league stage, with the final against Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium resulting in defeat. The scars of that loss have since shaped the team’s approach to preparation, and Gambhir along with the selectors are determined to ensure no stone is left unturned in building a squad capable of going all the way in South Africa.
With 20 ODIs scheduled before the tournament begins, the selectors have a substantial window to assess combinations and lock in their preferred lineup. Every player in contention, including both Pant and Samson, will be acutely aware that performances between now and the tournament could define their World Cup destiny. For Samson in particular, this period represents the most significant opportunity of his international career, while for Pant it is a race against time to rediscover the form that once made him indispensable to Indian cricket across all formats.
