Sanju Samson’s last T20I innings came at number three. After a low score in Melbourne, 2 off 4, the 31-year-old batter was dropped for Jitesh Sharma. It’s uncertain whether the management will bring Samson back again for the India vs South Africa 1st T20I.
Will India try Samson in Cuttack?
With the entire focus on the 2026 T20 World Cup, Team India will look to experiment. Ravichandran Ashwin thinks the management should give Samson another opportunity. The former Indian spinner suggested playing him at number three again, a position where Suryakumar Yadav or Tilak Varma usually play, depending on the scenario.
“I want to see if India will give Samson a chance at three, or will they go with Suryakumar and Tilak at three and four. They tried to use Sanju here in Australia,” Ashwin said on ‘Ash ki Baat’.
Ashwin highlighted that Samson was removed to accommodate Shubman Gill, who was brought back to the T20I team as vice-captain in the 2025 Asia Cup. With just 10 matches remaining until the T20 World Cup commences, Ashwin wants to see some clarity regarding the roles assigned to batters.
“The template had to be changed after Gill came in. Sanju was opening and giving that keeping option. Now that the opening batter and keeper are gone, you have to accommodate a keeper and finisher down the order. I will be looking forward from India’s perspective if we are giving role clarity to batters,” he added.
India’s squad for South Africa T20I series
Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington Sunda
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