With just two months left before the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, Sanju Samson has started to lose his grip on the secure spot in India’s T20I playing XI.
Until recently, the wicketkeeper-batsman was a definite selection in the team. However, the situation has completely changed for them since the return of Shubman Gill to the T20I team during the Asia Cup this year. Before Gill’s return, Sanju Samson had been opening the innings for India in the shortest format of the game and had cemented his place.
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Sanju Samson became a regular in India’s T20 setup after Rohit Sharma’s retirement in 2024. He showed his class by scoring three centuries in the second half of 2024. In the last two years he has scored 417 runs in 13 innings.
However, things have not gone as expected for the Kerala star in recent times. To make room for Gill in the team, he was demoted to the middle order and now he is not even getting a place in the playing eleven. When India played against South Africa in the first T20 match on Tuesday (9 December), he was once again dropped from the team.
This was the fourth time in the last six T20 Internationals after the Asia Cup that Samson had to make way for Jitesh Sharma in the playing eleven. The way things are panning out at the moment, it wouldn’t be surprising if Samson struggles to get back into the playing eleven soon.
Question on Sanju Samson’s place in the Indian team:
With Sanju Samson struggling to find a place in the playing eleven, former Kolkata Knight Riders team director Joy Bhattacharya has said that there is no point in keeping him in the team if he does not open the innings. He said that it would be more appropriate to choose Rishabh Pant as the backup-wicketkeeper as he has the experience of batting in the middle order.
“If you are not going to have Sanju bat higher up the order, there is really no point in keeping him. You can also keep Rishabh Pant, who is used to batting at No. 4, 5, 6, because Sanju Samson has proved himself, he has scored three centuries at the top and has done really well for you there.
“If you have decided that position and Shubman has taken it, then your keeper should be a finisher, which is Jitesh. I think India have gone along with it and decided that this is the process. In that situation, I would bring a second finisher-keeper as a backup, because it makes more sense to go that route rather than letting Sanju bat out of position. It makes no sense,” Bhattacharya told Cricbuzz.
Former South African captain Shaun Pollock, who was on the same panel, also shared his views on the situation. The Proteas great revealed that Gill has been elevated to the ‘Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma’ bracket and will always be preferred over Samson.
“Yes, Sanju got a raw deal. But, you know, those opportunities are often created by people getting injured or rested, whatever it may be, and players step up and perform. I think now you need to look at Shubman Gill from a different perspective. I think he is being elevated almost to the same level as the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. And when they came back into the teams, where did they go? They went back to their position. It was a mistake to move them down. That was not the case.” Pollock said.
“I think what he has shown, even in that Test series in England, is that he is number one, right, batting-wise? So I find the fact that he was an impressive guy, and given the stature he has, it is tough for Sanju because he has played very well and has not disappointed when he has been given the opportunity. It’s just the dynamics of the team.
“When Shubman comes back, and I’m glad he has recovered from his neck injury, I think he is the best player, so he goes to the top. And you also look at the partnership he has built with Abhishek over the years. They know each other’s game well and bounce off each other well.” He added.
