Sunil Gavaskar did not wait for the series to end to spell out what India’s T20 World Cup thinking looks like and who appears to be on the outside looking in.

Speaking during the Trivandrum finale of the India–New Zealand series, the former India captain suggested that the team management has now arrived at a clear batting order, with Ishan Kishan’s heroics and Tilak Varma’s imminent return reshaping the selection picture.

“I think the selection committee was quite forthright in giving Sanju Samson all the opportunities,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
“But now, with Ishan Kishan’s innings here and Tilak Varma likely to return, the batting order looks definite.”

Kishan’s maiden T20I century against New Zealand was more than a personal landmark. His blazing 103 powered India to a staggering 271 for 5 and provided the clearest indication yet of the management’s preferred option at the top of the order.

For Samson, the numbers paint a stark picture. Across five matches, he managed just 46 runs, with returns tapering off in a setup where patience is finite. Although listed as the designated wicketkeeper, the optics shifted decisively when Kishan donned the gloves in the final match, a move that, in a World Cup year, rarely signals mere experimentation.

Sunil Gavaskar laid out the reasoning bluntly after the match.

“It is really difficult to drop him. And drop him for whom? Tilak Varma is a proven performer at this level. Sanju Samson is also a proven performer, but he is not in form. This has nothing to do with ability,” Gavaskar said.

“In a tournament like the World Cup, you can’t take chances. After giving him five matches, his highest score is 24 and getting out in odd manners, he is clearly short on confidence. Unless Tilak Varma is not fit, I don’t see Samson being part of the XI on February 7.”

The former opener’s assessment underlined a shift from hesitation to decisiveness. With Tilak Varma recovering well and expected to feature in World Cup warm-up games, India’s batting order now appears settled, right through to their opening match against the USA.

Tilak’s return offers balance and flexibility, allowing India to fully commit to Kishan at the top without unsettling the middle order, the kind of clarity teams seek heading into a title defence.

Kishan finished the series with 215 runs, including a century and a fifty, second only to captain Suryakumar Yadav. More importantly, he delivered in the role India values ​​most in global T20S: setting the tempo up front. In Trivandrum, he seized control early, dismantling New Zealand’s plans inside the powerplay and never easing off.

India’s decision to include Kishan in the T20 World Cup squad had already been viewed as bold, rooted largely in his domestic dominance. He was outstanding in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, leading Jharkhand to the title with aggressive starts and clean hitting.

For Samson, this could mark another pause in an international career that has promised much but rarely found continuity. For Kishan, the message feels far more permanent. The runs, the timing, and Gavaskar’s words all point in the same direction.