Sanju Samson batted fiercely in the nets in the first practice session of Team India held on Friday in Ahmedabad. This has increased the speculation about his return to the playing 11 against South Africa.
Ahmedabad: The Super 8 matches of the T20 World Cup are about to start and there are indications of major changes in Team India. Before the important match against South Africa on Sunday, there have been indications from the practice session that star player Sanju Samson may return to the playing eleven. Team India’s first practice session took place in Ahmedabad on Friday. In this, Sanju Samson batted for a long time in the nets. He faced different types of bowlers and practiced match-like situations. During this time, the eyes of the selectors and coaches were fixed on him only. Usually backup players do not get such a long chance in the nets. Therefore, it is being considered as a big sign that Sanju can come into the playing eleven.
Sanju has not got any chance so far in this World Cup. Only in the match against Namibia, he came on the field as a substitute in place of sick Abhishek Sharma. Now that Abhishek Sharma has recovered, Sanju is out of the playing eleven again.
Management in tension regarding Abhishek Sharma
Now the biggest question is that if Sanju comes into the team, then who will go out? This has become a headache for team management. There is little possibility of Abhishek Sharma being dropped. He may have scored three ducks in the World Cup, but he is the No. 1 T20 batsman in the world. At the same time, Tilak Verma, who returned from injury, has not been able to regain his rhythm yet. Tilak seems to be struggling especially against the spinners, and this may open the door for Sanju. According to reports, Tilak’s poor strike rate at number three and Sanju’s excellent record against South Africa can get him a place in the playing eleven. There is little hope of replacing Rinku Singh with Sanju.
The management is keeping in mind Tilak Verma’s excellent performance in the 2025 Asia Cup final, but considering the current form, the pressure to include Sanju is increasing. Cricket experts also believe that the easiest way is to bring Sanju in the team in place of Tilak. Tilak’s scores in the group stage were: 25 runs in 16 balls against America, 25 runs in 21 balls against Namibia, 25 runs in 24 balls against Pakistan and 31 runs in 27 balls against Netherlands.
However, there is every possibility that the team management will stick with its winning combination which performed well in the group stage and not make any changes. The final decision on the playing eleven will be clear at the time of toss on Sunday.