Former India chief selector K Srikkanth has taken an indirect jibe at the team management and head coach Gautam Gambhir over the utilization of Sanju Samson. Ever since Shubman Gill returned to T20Is in the Asia Cup 2025, the Kerala keeper-batter not only lost his role as opener where he has tasted enormous success but has been shuffled around in the middle-order. Srikkanth has claimed that Samson is the most unluckiest player, while stating that the team management wouldn’t mind sending him at number 11.
Srikkanth tears into Gambhir and co for undermining Samson
In a video on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth claimed that Samson was scoring centuries as an opener but was now being used anywhere between number 3 to 8. He said that a player with the calibre of Sanju has been forced to remain tight-lipped and simply bat wherever he’s asked to. In fact, the Kerala keeper-batter was posed with this question during the Asia Cup 2025 and he had said back then that he doesn’t mind playing a villain or joker as per the requirements of the team.
“The guy who’s most unlucky is Sanju Samson. He was scoring centuries as an opener. But now they send him everywhere — from No. 3 to No. 8. If given an opportunity, they may send him at No. 11 also! A person like Sanju will naturally feel bad after doing so well at the top, but he has no option but to be tight-lipped and bat wherever the team asks him to,” Srikkanth said.
However, the former Indian chief selector claimed that Samson had solidified his position as the team’s first-choice wicketkeeper for the T20 World Cup 2026 with his exploits at number 5. Samson has amassed majority of runs in his T20I career while batting at the top of the order. Otherwise, he has made most of his runs in T20s while batting at number 3.
“The only good thing is he did well at No. 5 in the Asia Cup. It’s a good sign because Sanju is now the automatic choice as the first wicketkeeper for the T20 World Cup,” he said.
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