India, Feb. 1 -- Sanju Samson's T20I audition has started to feel like an exam. Five against New Zealand haven't delivered the innings that changes the conversation, and the timing is brutal: India open their ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 campaign in Mumbai on February 7, against the United States, leaving almost no runway for one more chance.

That is why Aakash Chopra's critique on ESPNcricinfo landed like a selection warning rather than an expert's post-mortem. Chopra wasn't just talking about a bad patch. He was talking about a pattern - the one thing elite batters try hardest to deny opponents.

"I think now this is twice in about 12 months. It all started with that England series. Very rarely do you find a top class batter developing...