India captain Suryakumar Yadav has backed keeper-batter Sanju Samson to do his job ahead of the first T20I between India and England. This first match of the five-T20I series will be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on January 22.

Sanju Samson has been India's go-to guy throughout the Gautam Gambhir era, and the captain believes the Keralite has taken advantage of his opportunities.

Suryakumar, who attended the press conference ahead of the upcoming England T20I series, has backed Samson to maintain his impressive form despite his ongoing argument with the Kerala Cricket Association over his participation in the just-finished Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025.

“Currently, there’s no question mark on the wicket-keepers. Sanju has done really well in the last 7-10 games and he’s really shown what he is capable of. That’s what we want from all the players in the side, not only the wicketkeeper-batters all the 6-7 batters, have good intent and keep the team first and moving forward in the right direction. Also, he’s got that opportunity and he’s made use of it and I’m really happy for him,” Suryakumar said during the press conference before the Kolkata T20I.

Sanju Samson has replaced Rohit Sharma as the opener for India in T20Is in 2024 and has amassed a total of 471 runs in 12 games at an average of 42.81 and a strike rate of 189.15. Samson became the first batter to score three T20I centuries in one calendar year, as he struck one ton against Bangladesh at home and two against South Africa.

He hopes to score more runs for his side in the forthcoming T20I series against England, which begins on January 22 in Kolkata.

India has chosen Dhruv Jurel as their backup keeper for the T20I series, but Samson will most likely be their first-choice gloveman for the entire series.

(PTI inputs)