At the ICC Academy nets in Dubai, it wasn’t the high-profile names that stole the spotlight on Saturday, but Jitesh Sharma. The 30-year-old wicketkeeper-batter was given extended time in the middle, with head coach Gautam Gambhir following every stroke from behind the nets.
The drills weren’t casual either, as Gambhir often cut in with instructions, especially when Jitesh attempted premeditated scoops and pickup shots, something that gives him an X-factor to play solely as a finisher. A trait that a top-order master, Sanju Samson, doesn’t have.
Jitesh is preparing for first-team role!
The message was hard to miss: Jitesh is being groomed as India’s first-choice keeper for the Asia Cup. Sanju Samson, his only competition in the squad, had a contrasting case. For long stretches of the session, he stuck to throwdowns and shadow practice, only joining the nets near the end.
When he did, Samson looked crisp and powerful, sending balls into the far corners of the ICC Academy, even clearing the fences into the area where Pakistan trained. However, if ESPNcricinfo’s report is anything to go by, the body language seemed to give away the fact that Jitesh has been told that he might just be the designated keeper.
Not just this, but even on Friday when India hit the training ground for the first time, only Jitesh of the two players hunted for keeping drills. While some thought that was because Samson came off a T20 tournament (KCL). Now, the pitcure becomes clearer anyhow.
Gill’s return squeezes Samson out
The equation changed the moment Shubman Gill was named vice-captain. If India had any doubts about him opening, that title cleared it up. Abhishek Sharma is his likely partner, with Tilak Varma and skipper Suryakumar Yadav filling the top four. That leaves little room for Samson, who has thrived as an opener but struggled when pushed down the order.
Jitesh, on the other hand, is tailor-made for a finisher’s role. His IPL 2025 season with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) showed his ability to score quick 20s and 30s at a strike rate north of 170, precisely what India’s lower order demands. With Hardik Pandya slotted at No. 5, Jitesh’s presence at No. 6 or 7 adds the firepower that is hard to ignore. He is an athletic keeper as well.
Samson’s hundreds in 2024 as an opener can’t be ignored, but in a squad where Gill’s name is inked in at the top, those runs don’t buy him security. Training patterns now point to a tough reality: barring an unexpected rethink, Jitesh Sharma will start India’s Asia Cup campaign against UAE on September 10, while Samson may be the unlucky passenger.
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