Sanju Samson’s position once again looks weak in India’s T20 series. Until recently, the right-handed batsman looked to be an essential part of the team. He formed a strong opening partnership with Abhishek Sharma and cemented his place in the team.
Since the 2024 T20 World Cup, he was one of India’s best T20I batsmen. He also scored three centuries in 2024. However, Sanju Samson’s place in the playing eleven looks to be in danger after being demoted to the middle-order.
Following the return of Shubman Gill to the T20I setup for the Asia Cup earlier this year, the team-management decided to change his batting position. Suddenly, Sanju Samson lost his place at the top of the order and is now competing with fellow wicketkeeper-batsman Jitesh Sharma for a spot in the middle order.
Suryakumar Yadav in place of Sanju Samson in the team:
With just a few months left for the much-awaited T20 World Cup to begin, there are still big question marks over Sanju Samson’s place in India’s middle-order. While only time will tell how things unfold, India captain Suryakumar Yadav has shared his views on the same.
Speaking to the media ahead of the first T20I against South Africa, the right-handed batsman said: “In terms of Sanju, yes, when he came to the circuit, he batted higher up the order. Now the thing is that apart from the openers, I think everyone has to be very flexible. He has done really well before playing, when he opened the innings.”
“But Shubman had played before him in the Sri Lanka series. So, he was entitled to take that spot. We gave opportunities to Sanju. He was ready to bat at any number, which is really good to see any player being very flexible, batting anywhere from 3 to 6. So, that’s one thing I have told all the batsmen.
Suryakumar supported Samson, but he did not confirm his place in the team. The Indian captain clarified that Samson and Jitesh are still in the race for the wicketkeeper-batsman spot in the team.
“Apart from the openers, everyone has to be very flexible. So, both of them (Sanju and Jitesh) are there in the scheme of things. It’s always good to have flexible players like those two as part of that team. One can open, one can bat lower down the order. Both can carry all the load. So, it is an asset for our team and also a good headache.” He added.
Also read: Hardik Pandya battling fresh injury ahead of South Africa T20I? For this reason the all-rounder did not leave practice
