Asia Cup: Will Jitesh Sharma be preferred over Sanju Samson?
What's the story
Jitesh Sharma is likely to be preferred over Sanju Samson for India's opening match of the T20 Asia Cup 2025. The Men in Blue will begin their campaign on September 10 against UAE. As per ESPNcricinfo, observations from their first practice session suggest that Sanju may be benched for this fixture, with Jitesh getting the nod ahead of him.
Team dynamics
Gill's return complicates matters for Samson
With Shubman Gill's return to the T20I setup, questions have been raised over Samson's place in the playing XI. As vice-captain, Gill is most likely to open the innings alongside Abhishek Sharma. This leaves Samson vying for a middle-order spot with Jitesh as a wicketkeeper-batter. However, Jitesh seems to be India's preferred choice for this opening fixture as he aced the finisher's role for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2025.
Training insights
Jitesh had long batting sessions under Gambhir's supervision
During India's first practice session in Dubai, Jitesh had long batting sessions under head coach Gautam Gambhir's supervision. In contrast, Samson only faced throwdowns at first before padding up and going through a net session. Despite showing his immaculate timing and monstrous hits after a prolific run in the Kerala Cricket League, Jitesh appears to be India's first-choice wicketkeeper-batter for this match.
Career highlights
Jitesh shone as a finisher in IPL 2025
Jitesh excelled as a finisher for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their title-winning campaign in IPL 2025. He scored 261 runs from 11 innings at an average of 37.28 and a strike rate of 176.35. His best innings was against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), where he scored an unbeaten 85 off just 33 balls, helping RCB chase down a target of 228 in just 18.4 overs.
Performance review
What about Samson?
Meanwhile, Samson was in sensational form in the recent Kerala Cricket League, scoring 368 runs from five innings at an average of 73.60 and a strike rate of 186.80. The 30-year-old has been prolific in T20Is after being promoted to open the innings by captain Suryakumar Yadav in October 2024 against Bangladesh. Since then, he has scored three centuries from 12 innings at an average of 37.90 with three centuries to his name.