Asia Cup: Will Sanju Samson be backed as middle-order batter?
What's the story
India's Playing XI in their 2025 Asia Cup opener against UAE gave the much-awaited answers. One of them was Sanju Samson's inclusion as the designated wicketkeeper-batter. It was earlier debated whether Samson would make the Playing XI, especially with vice-captain Shubman Gill in the top order. However, India captain Suryakumar Yadav gave him a middle-order spot for the opener.
Context
Why does this story matter?
With Gill returning to India's T20I squad as vice-captain after a year-long focus on Test and 50-over cricket, his inclusion changed the team's batting order. As expected, the 25-year-old opened with Abhishek Sharma in the UAE encounter. This meant India had to move Samson from the opening slot or even leave him out altogether, considering Jitesh Sharma's suitability lower down the order. However, the team management retained Samson's firepower, considering his current form.
Strategic placement
Ashwin suggests pushing Samson up the order
Ahead of the opener, former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin, speaking on his YouTube channel, disclosed a conversation between Samson and head coach Gautam Gambhir, who assured him of a place even if he scores 21 consecutive ducks. He said, "This is project Sanju Samson. When I interviewed him, he revealed that Gautam Gambhir told him that even if he makes 21 ducks, he will be picked for the 22nd game."
Form
Samson's sublime form
Samson was in sensational form in the recent Kerala Cricket League (KCL), 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 in October 2024 against Bangladesh. Since then, he has scored three centuries from 12 innings at an average of 37.90.