Justice has been delivered. That’s what many would believe after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) brought Sanju Samson back as an opener for the T20 World Cup 2026.
The wicketkeeper batter was matching Abhishek Sharma punch-for-punch as the best T20I opener in the world after returning to the Indian team in the wake of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s retirement from the shortest format of the game.
Samson smashed 3 hundreds in no time. His strike rate was through the roof. In Abhishek, India had a destroyer. Samson wasn’t the defender but an equal basher. However, with the T20 World Cup mere months away, the BCCI changed the successful combination.
BCCI picks Samson over Gill
Shubman Gill was brought back into the team for the Asia Cup 2025. Not just as opener and Samson’s replacement, but also as vice-captain. The move didn’t sit well. Not just fans, but even experts weren’t pleased.
There wasn’t any merit in Gill returning to the team and replacing Samson all of a sudden. It didn’t look like Suryakumar Yadav or Gautam Gambhir wanted Gill over Samson, but the BCCI were perhaps looking for an all-format captain.
Despite the push, it just didn’t work out. In 15 innings, Gill didn’t even score a fifty, and his strike rate was a paltry 137.26. That’s why BCCI has taken the tough but right call by dropping him and bringing Samson back.
Chairman of Selectors Ajit Agarkar stated that the decision was made to find the right balance. “Shubman is not included for the combination more than anything else. We felt that a wicketkeeper at the top (opening) would be good for the combination. Shubman is a quality player,” Agarkar said after announcing India’s squad for the T20 World Cup.
Suryakumar too deemed the exclusion solely on the combination rather. We have seen Gill tear it apart in the Indian Premier League (IPL), and one can’t say that he isn’t equipped for T20 cricket. It’s just that, at the moment, India has better options available.
“Post the (2024) T20 World Cup, when I went to Sri Lanka, and when I was appointed captain, Gill played well. So, it’s not about form; it’s about combination. He’s a terrific player, and it’s just that we are in a situation where we need an extra player for our combination, and that is why he’s been excluded for now,” Suryakumar said.
Shubman Gill vs Sanju Samson: T20I stats comparison as opener (from July 1, 2024 onwards)
| Matches | Runs | Highest Score | Average | Strike Rate | 100s | 50s | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shubman Gill | 22 | 534 | 66 | 29.66 | 133.50 | 0 | 2 |
| Sanju Samson | 14 | 454 | 111 | 34.92 | 181.60 | 3 | 0 |
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