Samson was left out of India's playing XI for the third and fourth T20Is against Australia.
Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has expressed doubts about Sanju Samson’s T20I future, suggesting that the wicketkeeper-batter may have fallen behind in the format’s evolving pecking order.
Notably, Samson was made to warm bench in the third and fourth T20Is of the ongoing series against Australia at Hobart and Queensland, with Jitesh Sharma being preferred as wicketkeeper-batter in the lower middle order.
During the Asia Cup 2025 in UAE, Shubman Gill’s return to the T20I fold as vice-captain saw Samson losing his spot at the top of the order despite hitting three hundreds last year.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaif explained how the shift towards role-specific selections seemed to have impacted Samson's place in the playing XI.
“If Sanju Samson were playing, there would be no confusion, but with Shubman Gill as vice-captain playing in all matches, Sanju Samson seems sidelined,” Kaif said.
“Jitesh Sharma is seen as a better finisher at number five or six than Sanju, which works in Sharma’s favour. But because Gill is being groomed as a future captain and player, Sanju has lost his spot.”
“Sanju’s record is excellent, a strike rate of around 150. But they are backing players by the batting number position now,” he added.
Ahead of the first T20I against Australia, Sanju Samson had spoken about losing his opening spot to vice-captain Shubman Gill.
"To be honest, I have played a lot of different roles for a lot of different teams. I have been part of this team for a long time now and have done different roles. I have opened the batting. I have finished matches.
“Now, I am batting in the middle order. Only the openers are fixed in this team. The rest of the batters have to be ready to bat at any time and in any situation. We are well prepared for that,” Samson told reporters.
It remains to be seen if Samson gets a chance in the series finale against Australia at the Gabba on Saturday (November 8).