Former Indian cricketer Kris Srikkanth says keeper-batter Sanju Samson has been unlucky in recent times due to continuous adjustments in his batting stance.
While Samson has made significant contributions as an opener, he is now in the middle order, with Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma leading the way. During the Asia Cup 2025, Samson batted three times at number five and once at number three. He did not bat until number eight in the match against Bangladesh.
Srikkanth joked that Samson is required to keep quiet even when he is feeling poorly and that the club management may assign him to bat at No. 11 next time.
“The guy who's most unlucky is Sanju Samson. He was scoring centuries as an opener. But now they send him everywhere from 3 to 8. If given an opportunity, they may send him at 11 also. So a person like Sanju will also feel bad, having done so well at the top. But he has no option but to be tight-lipped and bat wherever the team asks him to.
The only good thing is that he did well at 5 in the Asia Cup. It's a good sign for him because now Sanju is the automatic choice as the first wicketkeeper for the T20 World Cup. He is sure to bat at No. 5,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
He further claimed that the India playing XI that featured in the first T20I in Australia will be more or less the same that’ll play in the T20 World Cup 2026 next year in India and Sri Lanka. The only change Srikkanth feels will happen will be Hardik Pandya replacing Harshit Rana.
"The 11 that played today is more or less the one for the T20 World Cup. Hardik Pandya will come into the 11 for Harshit Rana. That'll be the 11 for the World Cup. Arshdeep might have to miss out again because of the combination, as we have to play three spinners.
Dube can't be dropped because India has won whenever he has played. He somehow ends up taking wickets even with his medium-pace bowling. So, he's your sixth option. So, the team is almost set for the T20 World Cup. Now it's all just about having match practice and getting into the rhythm," Srikkanth added.
