3 min readDec 9, 2025 07:39 PM IST
First published on: Dec 8, 2025 at 11:07 PM IST
Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma had formed an incredibly potent opening combination for India in the immediate months after the 2024 T20 World Cup. However, the return of Shubman Gill to the squad has resulted in Samson being displaced from the opening slot and having to often adjust anywhere in the top order to the lower middle order, if he is picked. India captain Suryakumar Yadav acknowledged that Samson did extremely well at the top of the order but Gill was always first choice.
“In terms of Sanju, yes, when he came into the circuit, he batted higher up the order. Now, the thing is, other than the openers, I feel everyone has to be very flexible,” Suryakumar told reporters on the eve of India’s first T20I against South Africa.
He reiterated the point made a number of times by head coach Gautam Gambhir about every batsman needing to be prepared to play anywhere, aside from the openers. “He (Sanju) did really well before when he played, when he opened the innings. But Shubman had played before him in the Sri Lanka series. So, he deserved to take that spot. But we gave Sanju opportunities. He was ready to bat at any number from 3 to 6. That is one thing which I have told all the batters — other than openers, everyone has to be very flexible.”
Suryakumar said that the fact that India are having to choose between Samson and Jitesh is in itself an asset to the team. “So, both (Sanju and Jitesh) are in the scheme of things. It is always good to have lovely players like both of them being part of that squad. One can open, one can bat lower on the order. Both can do all the roles. So, it is an asset to our team and also a good headache to have,” he said.
Can’t look past all-rounders like Shivam Dube
At the same time, Suryakumar said that India will be careful with the changes that they made to a squad that seem to have only gone up a level since winning the T20 World Cup last year. “We won’t be changing a lot of combinations. We won’t be trying too many things because things are going really well. So, we want to stick to the process…”
Suryakumar also indicated that Rinku Singh may have fallen in the pecking order due to the presence of Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube, both of whom are extremely efficient in those positions and bona fide fast bowling all-rounders. “Dube is an all-rounder. He and Hardik are the all-rounders. So, you can’t compare an all-rounder. The thing is all the batters from 3 to 7 are capable of batting at any position.” On the series, Suryakumar kept the goals simple,” he said.
Indian Head Coach Gautam Gambhir with captain Sanju Samson (FILE photo) 
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