India cricket team star Sanju Samson wasted no time in proving that he is a better opener for the team in T20Is than Shubman Gill in the IND vs SA 5th T20I. The Kerala keeper-batter, who warmed the bench for four games, finally got an opportunity in the final T20I as the vice-captain was forced to miss the game due to a foot injury. Samson, who lost his role as opener to Gill in Asia Cup 2025, played his role at the top of the order to perfection, taking the Proteas bowlers to the cleaners within the powerplay. Follow IND vs SA 5th T20I LIVE here.
Samson slams fiery 37-run knock on return as opener
Samson raced to 37 runs off 22 deliveries, striking 4 fours and 2 sixes during his knock. Such was the elegance and class displayed by the Kerala keeper-batter that former India head coach Ravi Shastri couldn’t help but wonder why he was not in the playing XI automatically and instead was acting as an injury replacement. Samson also achieved another milestone during his knock as he went past 1000 runs in T20Is. However, his innings came to an end as he was clean bowled by Linde, marking the first time he was dismissed by a left-arm spinner.
Since being reinstated as opener and vice-captain in 2025, Gill has failed to register a single half-century in 15 innings. His average sits below 25, with a strike rate that hasn’t touched 140. With the squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 set to be announced by chief selector Ajit Agarkar on Saturday at 1.30 PM, Samson has fired a timely reminder to head coach Gautam Gambhir over his spot in the playing XI.
Samson has tasted the most success while batting at the top of the order in T20Is. In fact, he is the only Indian to have scored three centuries in a calendar year in the shortest format of the game. However, despite Samson’s experience and form, he was forced to be demoted to the middle-order in order to accommodate Gill. Eventually, Sanju was left out of the playing XI as India decided to use Jitesh Sharma as the first-choice wicketkeeper.
Samson’s knock in Ahmedabad on Friday will give head coach Gambhir and captain SKY a lot to think about the team’s combination.
