Mumbai: Shubman Gill’s comeback into India’s T20I setup for the ongoing Asia Cup has forced a reshuffle in the batting order, with Sanju Samson moved down to No. 5. Gill has been paired with Abhishek Sharma at the top, pushing Samson out of the opening slot he has occupied for nearly a year.
Former India opener and World Cup winner Kris Srikkanth is not pleased with the move. He believes the change could dent Samson’s confidence and even put his spot in the XI at risk.
“Careful Sanju, this is probably a do-or-die chance for you,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel. “If you don’t score in a couple of games, Shreyas Iyer might come in. Shifting Samson to No. 5 looks like making way for Shreyas. He hasn’t batted there in T20s, so I’m not too happy.”
Samson has thrived as an opener, scoring 522 of his 861 T20I runs, including all three of his centuries, at the top of the order. His record in the middle is far less convincing.
Srikkanth also questioned Samson’s role in the lineup, pointing out that India already have finishers in Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube. “Are they going to use him as a finisher? No. That’ll be Hardik and Dube. So, what’s Samson’s role at No. 5? That is the question,” he said.
While Samson was chosen ahead of Jitesh Sharma for the Asia Cup, Srikkanth cautioned that the T20 World Cup selection picture could change quickly if Samson fails to deliver.
