The curious case of Sanju Samson is once again here. Just when everyone thought that he had got his desired position in the T20I set up, the return of Shubman Gill in the Asia Cup squad has changed things. Samson is batting at six in the Kerala Cricket League, but he scored only 13 runs.
Sanju Samson’s career is once again on the line. Shubman Gill’s return to India’s Asia Cup squad has once again raised question marks on his place in the team. In the last year or so, Samson opened in the shortest format for India and smashed three centuries. But it is almost confirmed that he will have to vacate the position for Gill, who has also been named the vice-captain. Probably for the same reason, Samson is batting at number six in the ongoing Kerala Cricket League (KCL) too.
He is playing for Kochi Blue Tigers in the tournament and got his first chance to bat down the order in the 5th match of the season on Saturday (August 23). It turned out to be a forgettable outing for him as the 30-year-old could only muster 13 runs off 22 deliveries and couldn’t hit a single four or six. His team posted a massive total of 183 runs for the loss of eight wickets in their 20 overs but Samson failed to provide any impetus to the innings.
No place for Samson in India’s top three?
This move from Samson is certainly to stake his claim for the finisher’s slot left in India’s playing XI in the Asia Cup. He seems to have realised that there is no place for him in the top three where India are set to open with Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill. Even though chief selector Ajit Agarkar made it clear that the call to pick between Samson and Gill will be taken by the management in Dubai, the former is likely to have got the signal.
Samson’s record as opener in T20Is
Interestingly, while opening the innings, Sanju Samson played his best cricket for India. In 17 innings so far, he scored 522 runs at an average of 32.63 and an average of more than 180 with three centuries and a fifty to his name. Though he registered three ducks, the man made a massive impact at the top of his order. Unfortunately, Samson won’t be getting his favoured slot to bat and might end up losing his place in the playing XI.
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