While the Sanju Samson debate rages on in the lead-up to India’s opening Asia Cup 2025 match against the United Arab Emirates in Dubai on Wednesday evening, former India off-spinner R Ashwin has snubbed his old Rajasthan Royals teammate from the Men in Blue’s lineup. Instead, Ashwin has backed the returning Shubman Gill to take over Samson’s opening slot, adding that the vice-captain and the Kerala wicket-keeper cannot feature together in the T20I XI for the tournament.
Ashwin explained his decision, stating that the 30-year-old Samson has not played as a wicket-keeper/finisher in the side as yet, and it would be difficult to slot him down the order. Instead, the veteran Tamil Nadu spinner urged that India could pick Jitesh Sharma and slot him at No. 5, behind the quarter of Abhishek Sharma, Gill, skipper Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma.
“The rest of the 10 are a lock, this is the only debatable spot. Will Sanju Samson have a spot in the middle order? No chance in my opinion. You can figure this out by looking at the nets, just like how looking at a house can help figure about a country.
“Shubman Gill will definitely play, while Sanju Samson will only be knocking (practice). Because he didn’t even bat in the nets. It’s sad that he won’t be starting in the Asia Cup,” remarked Ashwin on his YouTube channel.
Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah
Knowing that his return has been under immense scrutiny, Ashwin has predicted Test captain Gill to make a statement in the tournament and top the batting charts by the end of the continental event.
“I have my reasons to say that. He is also aware that there has been some talk around his batting. There can be talk, but Shubman Gil and Abhishek Sharma. Folks get scared with that opening combination. Shubman Gill knows he needs to make runs, and he will want to make runs. He is a run machine. He can make big runs at a lower strike rate,” Ashwin said.
“Abhishek Sharma will tee off at one end. Shubman Gill could be the glue around which the team is built up. In today’s times, there is not a lot of need to become the glue in T20 cricket. But Shubman has it in him to play conventional cricket and still make a 100 off 55 balls,” Ashwin said.
Stay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.
