Sanju Samson has registered an unwanted T20I record against his name—one an attacking batter like him would never want. Despite scoring three half-centuries in his previous five matches, the Indian opener played out a maiden in the very first over of India’s chase against New Zealand.
India needed 181 to win, but Samson could not score a run from the opening six deliveries. For a batter known for putting bowlers under pressure from the start, it was an unexpected beginning.
A maiden at the start of a T20I chase means the batting side uses up one of its 20 overs without adding to the scoreboard. India’s required rate rose from 9.05 to around 9.53 before the other opener had even faced a delivery.
That is what makes this an uncomfortable entry in Samson’s record. His attacking approach usually helps India make early use of the powerplay, when only two fielders are allowed outside the circle. On this occasion, New Zealand controlled the entire opening over.
Samson is not the only established opener to experience this. KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Yashasvi Jaiswal and England’s Phil Salt have also played out the first over of a men’s T20I innings as a maiden.
Rahul had recorded five such instances by November 2022. Dhawan played out an opening-over maiden against South Africa’s Chris Morris in 2018, while Rohit did so against West Indies pacer Oshane Thomas later that year. Jaiswal faced six scoreless deliveries from Australia’s Aaron Hardie in December 2023, and Salt played out a maiden against Arshdeep Singh in July 2026.
For Samson, the contrast with his recent form makes this stand out. Three half-centuries in five matches showed how well he had been batting, yet he could not get off the mark during the opening over here. It does not erase those performances, but it adds an unwanted first-over maiden to the record of a player whose biggest strength is his ability to score quickly.
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