According to former India wicketkeeper MSK Prasad, Sanju Samson had two centuries in South Africa while batting higher in the order, but he won't be included in the Indian playing XI for the Asia Cup 2025 until he is placed in the top order, even though he didn't do anything wrong to be benched.
During the T20I team's transformation under head coach Gautam Gambhir, Samson was given a steady run at the top of the order. Samson made a big impression as an opener by hitting three hundreds in five games in 2024.
However, with Shubman Gill being included in the India squad for the Asia Cup as vice-captain, questions have been raised on Sanju Samson’s batting position and even place in the Men in Blue XI.
There is a lot of doubt about Sanju Samson's spot in the starting lineup for India's Asia Cup opener against the United Arab Emirates.
“If Sanju is slotted at number 3, then he will play. He has even scored back-to-back centuries in South Africa, batting higher up. In the pecking order, he comes ahead of Jitesh. But if he is not batting at 3, then I do not see him finding a place at 5 or 6. In my view, the batting order should be Sanju at 3, Suryakumar at 4, and then someone like Rinku at 6,” MSK Prasad told the Times of India.
Prasad also stressed that Samson has performed well only at the top of the order and stated that if the team management wants a top-order wicketkeeper-batter, Samson should be in the XI in place of Jitesh Sharma.
“Jitesh is a better finisher, no doubt. He understands that role well. Sanju, on the other hand, has always been most effective batting up the order. So it really depends on what the team management wants.
If they need a top-order wicketkeeper, then Sanju is the obvious choice. But if they feel the top order is settled and need a finisher, then Jitesh might get the nod. Either way, it’s a good problem to have, but to be honest, what wrong did Sanju do to be sidelined? He has scored hundreds in South Africa, and you can’t ignore that," Prasad added.
India will face UAE in their Asia Cup opener on September 10, 2025, in Dubai.
