The bulk of Sanju Samson’s career has seen the right-handed batter not get consistent chances in the playing XI, but the arrival of head coach Gautam Gambhir changed everything for him.
The 30-year-old from Kerala has been a regular feature in India’s T20I playing XI after the World Cup last year, and Samson has made the most of his chances, scoring three centuries. However, the rich vein of form of late might not be enough for Samson to keep his place in the Asia Cup 2025.
Shubman Gill is back in the squad, and the right-hander is all but confirmed to feature in the playing XI as an opening batter alongside Abhishek Sharma. Now Samson is fighting for his spot, and he might be pipped by Jitesh Sharma as the latter has more experience of batting in the lower order and doing the role of the finisher.
Jitesh earned his place in the playing XI on the back of a strong Indian Premier League (IPL) for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Samson might be fighting it out for a spot, but the wicketkeeper-batter has not let the smile go away from his face, and he has been in good spirits in India’s training sessions.
On Saturday, India held its second practice session at the ICC Academy in Dubai. As soon as the bus stopped at the venue, fans started chanting the names of the Indian players. As soon as Samson was about to get down, a young fan started chanting his name, probably looking for a selfie or an autograph.
However, Samson was in a hurry and left, but not before he made a promise to the young fan. “Aata hu beta baad me (I will come later),” said Samson in his reply.
India to begin campaign on September 10
India are placed in Group A alongside Pakistan, UAE and Oman. The Suryakumar Yadav-led side will begin their campaign on September 10 against the UAE.
The much-anticipated match between India and Pakistan will be played on September 14 in Dubai. Ahead of the beginning of the tournament, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar put his weight behind Samson, saying the wicketkeeper-batter should be a part of the playing XI.
He said that Samson should get the nod ahead of Jitesh Sharma for the first couple of matches and then a call can be taken based on the form of the wicketkeeper-batter.