NEW DELHI: The struggling Sanju Samson on Tuesday received a big vote of confidence as India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel said the opener was just one knock away from regaining form.

Samson has managed only 16 runs in three T20Is so far, with a highest score of 10, while other top-order batters like Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and Suryakumar Yadav were dominating the New Zealand attack.

“Sanju is one knock away from getting that confidence, getting that form back. For us, building up to the World Cup it’s important for the guys to find that peak performance at the right time. He’s training well, he’s hitting the ball very well,” Morkel said on the eve of the fourth T20I here.

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Hard work in the nets

Despite it being an optional nets session, Samson spent over 30 minutes facing a variety of bowlers including Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, Abhishek Sharma, and side-armer Raghu.

After a few initial minutes of struggle, the familiar Samson emerged, sending the ball to the far corners of ACA-VDCA Stadium with ease.

The Kerala batter then had a long discussion with head coach Gautam Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak at the side of the nets while Shreyas Iyer continued his own practice.

They were seen patiently guiding him through a few technical adjustments to help him get back on track.

Focus on team over individual form

Morkel was not overly concerned about Samson’s recent lean patch, stressing that team success remained the priority.

“So, I think it’s just a matter of time for him to get his foot on the board. But the main focus is that the team is winning, and I think that’s important. We’re 3-0 up in this series at the moment, the boys are playing some very good cricket.

“We’ve got a couple of games now before the start of the World Cup, and I have no doubt that Sanju will find his form,” added the South African.

(With PTI Inputs)