Gautam Gambhir has backed Sanju Samson. From October 2024 to August 2025, the batter from Kerala was India’s frontline opener. Together with Abhishek Sharma, Samson destroyed the opposition. It was clear that head coach Gambhir believed Samson was the right man for the job.
But Gambhir’s hands were tied. In September 2025, Shubman Gill was recalled for the Asia Cup. He was appointed the vice-captain, meaning he had to open the batting with Abhishek, and Samson had to either get dropped or demoted.
It wasn’t fair to Samson. But that’s how it was. However, Gambhir still backed him. He played in the middle order during the Asia Cup, with moderate success. With the T20 World Cup 2026 around the corner, it felt like Samson would miss out on playing the ICC tournament again.
But the selectors dropped Gill instead. Samson once again returned as opener. But it wasn’t a fairytale ending for Samson. His form went missing. In a matter of days, Ishan Kishan trumped him as the main opener.
Sanju Samson can’t adapt?
Can Samson somehow return? According to former India bowler Lakshmipathy Balaji, the management won’t back him again, especially for any role other than opener. Balaji compared Samson to KL Rahul, who has been one of the most shifted-around cricketers for India in the recent past.
Across formats, Rahul has batted everywhere. He’s kept wickets when required, even in Test cricket. But Samson isn’t like Rahul. The former Chennai Super Kings bowling coach pointed out that during the Asia Cup, Samson was tried in the middle order but couldn’t make it work.
Despite playing for 11 years in international cricket, Samson just doesn’t have the flexibility. And when runs aren’t flowing from his bat, the teammate management can’t do anything but bench him.
“The present think tank tried that by giving him a specific role. But he’s not a player like KL Rahul that can adapt and absorb pressure in the middle order. Yes, he has vast experience, but Sanju Samson shouldn’t be played in the middle order,” Balaji told Star Sports.
India squad for T20 World Cup 2026
Ishan Kishan (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel (vc), Shivam Dube, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (wk), Washington Sundar
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