Sanju Samson’s first 28 innings in international T20s produced just two half-centuries and 11 single-digit efforts. For all his immense talent and the mountain of attractive runs in the Indian Premier League, the right-hander from Kerala Sanju Samson seemed destined for an India T20I career less fulfilled.
Then, without warning, Sanju Samson smashed three centuries in five innings in as many weeks in October-November last. Among them were successive hundreds against Bangladesh in Hyderabad and South Africa in Durban, making him the first Indian to stack up back-to-back tons in T20Is. It seemed as if Sanju Samson had, finally, turned the corner.
Sanju Samson at his best cuts a glorious sight, full of sinewy grace, impeccable timing and effortless placement. Sanju Samson hardly hits a ball in anger, yet it singes the turf on its way to a date with the boundary cushions or soars through the air to scatter the spectators in the stands. He suffuses onlookers with feelgood, he puts a smile on the fans’ faces with his sheer majesty and incandescence.
But Sanju Samson is as prone to frustrating his followers as he can exhilarate. After that electric phase, he hit an almost predictable trough, managing just 52 runs in the five-match series against England at home in January-February. As much as the string of low scores, what was alarming was an eerily similar mode of dismissal – caught at various positions on the leg-side, playing the pull shot time after time despite being rushed for pace, thrice against the slippery Jofra Archer.
It was during the last of those matches, at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, that Sanju Samson was struck on his right index finger by a lifter from Archer. The resultant fracture meant he wasn’t cleared fit to keep wickets at the beginning of Rajasthan Royals’ campaign in IPL 2025.
The designated skipper filled in as Impact Player, who only batted in the first three matches, Rajasthan clearly missing his proven leadership skills. Sanju Samson had a middling season with 285 runs from nine appearances while his side had a campaign to forget, finishing ninth among ten teams.
Despite his travails against England, Samson might have felt he had done enough in the two preceding series to deserve a longer rope at the top of the batting order. But it now appears as if he must reconcile to a spell on the sidelines.
The return of Shubman Gill to the T20I side after 13 months, as Suryakumar Yadav’s deputy, indicates that he will slot in as one of the openers. His partner, almost certainly, will be Punjab teammate Abhishek Sharma, and not necessarily because the latter ticks one of the huge projects of the Suryakumar-Gautam Gambhir leadership group – his left-handedness.
In 17 T20Is, the 25-year-old Abhishek has already slammed two centuries, striking at 193.84; his last outing for the country netted 135, off a mere 54 deliveries, against the shell-shocked Englishmen at the Wankhede. It helps that he is also a handy left-arm spinner.
A case is being made out for Samson to bat at No. 3, but how does one displace Tilak Varma, who made successive tons after asking for and getting that position from Suryakumar in South Africa? Sanju Samson has amassed almost all his T20 runs at the top of the order and there isn’t enough evidence of what he can or can’t do at No. 5 and beyond.
That perhaps gives Jitesh Sharma the edge; from Jharkhand and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the spunky stumper was one of the influencers behind RCB’s march to their maiden IPL title at the 18th time of asking. His 261 runs in 11 knocks came at the frenetic strike-rate of 176.35, all in the second half of the innings.
India’s four practice sessions at the ICC Academy Oval since their arrival in Dubai last Thursday have provided a peek into which way the think-tank is aligned. Jitesh is the one who has been put through extensive wicketkeeping drills, he has batted longer and against fresher bowlers than Sanju Samson. Perhaps one is reading too much into all this, but Jitesh was present at Tuesday evening’s optional training session ahead of Wednesday’s opener against UAE while Sanju Samson wasn’t. Make of all this what you will.
Batting at number five for India, Sanju Samson has scored 62 runs at an average of 20.62, which is a dip when compared to his opening numbers, where, from 11 innings, he managed to amass 522 runs at an average of 32.63, including three centuries. Former Indian selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth predicted that by making Samson bat at number five, India are making way to get Shreyas Iyer into the team.
Kris Srikkanth signals Sanju Samson’s demotion vs UAE in Asia Cup 2025 as a open door for Shreyas Iyer
Shubman Gill’s return in T20I setup has forced the Indian team to make changes in their batting order for the ongoing Asia Cup. Sanju Samson, who has been played as an opener in T20Is for nearly a year now, has been shunted down to No. 5 so that Gill can open alongside Abhishek Sharma.
Former India opener and World Cup winner Kris Srikkanth isn’t thrilled with the change and feels that Sanju Samson is just a couple of failures away from losing his spot in the playing XI. Srikkanth feels that moving Sanju Samson down the order will also open up the door for Shreyas Iyer’s return.
“I somehow feel by making Sanju bat at 5, they are making way for Shreyas Iyer to return to the side. Sanju hasn’t batted much at 5 and he shouldn’t bat at that position either. It will dent his confidence batting at No. 5. I am not too happy for him. To Sanju, I would warn him by saying that this is his last chance. I would also tell him if he fails to score in the next or three innings at this position, Shreyas Iyer will replace him,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
Sanju Samson has scored 522 of his 861 runs in T20Is, including all his three centuries, as an opener. He hasn’t found much success when batting lower though. Srikkanth also wondered what role Sanju Samson has been assigned in the middle order since there are already two finishers – Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube – in the playing XI.
“They are playing Sanju Samson in the middle-order. Are they going to use him as the finisher? No. That’ll be Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube. So, Samson will play at 5. Will he deliver? That’s a question mark. You’ve accommodated Sanju Samson ahead of Jitesh Sharma. It is fine for this Asia Cup but what will happen in the T20 World Cup?” he added.
“Sanju Samson has been included ahead of Jitesh Sharma, which is fine for Asia Cup. But what happens at the T20 World Cup?” he concluded.
In the match between India and UAE, the latter was bowled out for 57 in 13.1 overs, with Kuldeep Yadav taking four wickets. Suryakumar Yadav’s side chased the total down in 4.3 overs with nine wickets in hand and 93 balls to spare. India will next square off against Pakistan in the Asia Cup on Sunday, September 14 at the Dubai International Stadium.