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India National Cricket Team wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson has once again left his team and fans disappointed with his flop show at the Asian Games 2026. In the big gold medal match against Pakistan, Sanju Samson could face only four deliveries before throwing away his wicket.
India suffered back-to-back early blows in the Asian Games 2026 gold medal match against Pakistan at the Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin on October 3, as Sanju Samson was dismissed for just 2 runs moments after Vaibhav Sooryavanshi lost his wicket to Saim Ayub for 15. Earlier, Saim Ayub did a baby cradle celebration after dismissing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in IND vs PAK.
Sanju Samson falls for just 2 against Pakistan
Ahmed Daniyal produced the breakthrough for Pakistan in the fourth over of the Indian innings in the Asian Games 2026 gold medal match as he trapped Sanju Samson with a short delivery that cramped the Indian wicketkeeper-batter for room.
The right-handed batter tried to pull the ball but failed to make proper contact. The ball went high off the bat and lobbed straight towards mid-on, where Arafat Minhas took an easy yet brilliant catch.
Samson was seen too disappointed with himself while walking back to the dugout for just 2 runs off 4 balls, as the Kerala star was hoping to make an impact in the high-pressure gold medal clash against Pakistan at the Korogi Sports Park.
Sanju Samson departs early, Pakistan gets their 2nd pic.twitter.com/1xxk7qvtkG
— PctMedia (@PctMediaa) October 3, 2026
India create new powerplay record in Gold Medal clash
Meanwhile, Pakistan is delighted with the early breakthroughs against India. But Abhishek Sharma continued the assault and smashed the blistering half century. His knock helped India to create a new record for their highest powerplay score against Pakistan in T20Is, reaching 81/2 in Nisshin.
With this score, India have surpassed their own previous best of 69/0, which came during the Asia Cup 2025 Super Fours match in Dubai. In that match also, Abhishek smashed a blistering half-century in just 24 balls. It was India's fastest fifty against Pakistan in T20I cricket at the time.
Well, Abhishek and Tilak Varma’s fifties helped India to cross the 210-run mark in the gold medal match against Pakistan at the Korogi Sports Park on Saturday. Amid this, Abhishek Sharma breaks Virat Kohli’s iconic record in Asian Games final vs Pakistan.
Sanju Samson’s comeback takes another hit as he opens up about India's strength
Speaking about Sanju Samson, the Kerala star had made a stunning comeback in the recent T20I series against Afghanistan. He had smashed back-to-back half-centuries to strengthen his position in the top order, but he once again lost the momentum in the Asian Games 2026.
Earlier, Sanju Samson highlighted the growing strength of Indian cricket and explained why they now have enough talent to handle multiple teams at the same time. He credited the IPL and domestic cricket for playing a major role in developing young players.
Samson had recently said, "It is a known fact nowadays how strongly Indian cricket has grown in the last so many years. So, I think there has been some constant effort. I think definitely IPL plays a huge role. But I feel our domestic cricket is also playing a huge role, actually. We have been constantly making great efforts to go out and play all the domestic matches whenever we get a chance. And that is where we tend to develop a lot of talents also.”
