Overview:
Samson, who was moved to the middle order, was dropped after scoring one fifty in five innings.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav said Shubman Gill would open the innings on his return to the T20I team, justifying the decision to keep him ahead of Sanju Samson. Speaking to the media ahead of the first T20I against South Africa in Cuttack, Suryakumar said that Samson is still a part of the plans despite being dropped from the playing XI during the last series against Australia.
Samson returned to the T20I team in 2023, but he scored runs consistently when he started opening the batting in October 2024. He amassed three hundreds in 5 innings, appearing to cement his place while striking a match-winning partnership with Abhishek Sharma.
However, Samson was demoted in the batting order when Shubman Gill was recalled to the side for the Asia Cup 2025. Gill didn’t play the shortest format for over a year to focus on Test and ODIs.
Samson, who was moved to the middle order, was dropped after scoring one fifty in five innings. Jitesh Sharma, who played for RCB in IPL 2025, was given a chance in place of Samson.
“Samson batted higher in the batting order when he came onto the circuit. I feel everyone has to be flexible, apart from the openers. Samson did well when he opened the innings. But Shubman Gill played before him in the Sri Lanka series, so he deserves to play in that spot,” Suryakumar Yadav said.
Gill is being viewed as India’s next all-format star. Suryakumar was asked about Samson’s place in the squad. “We gave Samson chances, and he is ready to bat anywhere. It is good that a player is ready to bat in any position,” Suryakumar added.
“I have told all the batters that everyone has to be flexible. Both (Jitesh and Samson) are part of the scheme of things. It is good to have them in the squad. One can open, and one can bat in the lower order. Both are capable of playing all the roles. It is a good headache to have,” he mentioned.
SKY confirmed that the Men in Blue are not looking to change much as they are preparing the team for the T20 World Cup in 2026.
“We don’t want to change much. We assess the type of cricket we want to play in a series. We don’t want to change anything else.”
Suryakumar Yadav confirmed that Shubman Gill is fit and available for selection. Hardik Pandya will also play for the first time since the Asia Cup.