Suryakumar Yadav revealed where Shubman Gill and Sanju Samson will bat in the T20I against South Africa.
With Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya’s return to India’s T20I set-up, the dynamic around India’s Playing XI promises to change drastically, with the most pertinent question being, ‘Will Sanju Samson get a game?’ Samson was India’s opener for a good part of last year, his pairing with Abhishek Sharma yielding success for India, but with Gill’s promotion as the team’s vice-captain, Samson was pushed down into the lower-middle order in the Asia Cup. Samson has been in fine nick in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, racking up scores of 51, 43, 46 and 73; however, captain Suryakumar Yadav has confirmed that the order won’t change, with Gill opening and Samson batting in the middle order.
“Sanju, when he came into the circuit, he batted higher up the order. Now, the thing is, other than the openers, everyone has to be flexible. He did really well when he opened the innings, but Shubman had played before him in the Sri Lanka series, so he deserves to take that spot,” Sura said on the eve of the series opener.
But here’s where things get interesting. Samson isn’t just competing with Gill anymore. With Jitesh Sharma breathing down his neck, Samson is in for a direct like-for-like competition. In India’s last T20I match – against Australia, Jitesh replaced Samson as the team’s wicketkeeper batter, and scored an unbeaten 22 off 13 balls to see his side through and end the series 1-1. India will certainly not overlook that knock, which adds a whole new layer of uncertainty around Samson.
“But we gave Sanju opportunities. He was ready to bat at any number, which is actually good to see a player being flexible to bat anywhere from No. 3 to 6. That’s one thing I have told all the batters that other than openers, everyone has to be very flexible. Both [Samson and Jitesh] are in the scheme of things. It’s always good to have lovely players like both of them. One can open, one can bat lower down the order. In fact, both can do all the roles. It’s an asset to the team and a good headache to have,” added Surya.
Hardik, Gill a 100 percent fit
However, the good news is that both Gill and Hardik are 100 per cent fit and raring to go. Hardik was ruled out ahead of the Asia Cup final due to a quadriceps injury, but returned to match practice for Baroda during the SMAT. Gill, meanwhile, hasn’t played any form of cricket since injuring his neck during the 1st Test against South Africa, and all eyes would be on him, and how he goes when he makes his much-awaited comeback at Cuttack’s Barabati Stadium on Tuesday.
“Both [Gill and Pandya] are looking healthy and fit. What you saw in the Asia Cup also, when he [Hardik] was bowling with the new ball, he opened up a lot of options, combinations for us with respect to the playing XI,” Suryakumar said.
“That’s what he brings to the table. His experience, the way he has done well in all big games, all ICC events, ACC events. I think that experience will count a lot and his presence will definitely give a good balance to the side.”
