Sanju Samson had an outstanding season with the bat in T20I cricket last year. He scored two against South Africa and one against Bangladesh. But he was opening the batting alongside Abhishek Sharma when he scored these runs.
The return of India’s new T20I vice-captain, Shubman Gill, has forced the Kerala wicketkeeper-batter to drop down the order during the 2025 Asia Cup. Samson has been forced to take on a new role, batting in the middle, while Gill has joined Abhishek at the top of the order.
India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate revealed that the team management is looking to have Sanju Samson play at No. 5. The 30-year-old will need some time to get used to the new batting stance, the former Netherlands all-rounder acknowledged.
“Yeah, I think there’s two outings now, two decent chances and he’s still figuring out how to play that role. I think the wicket was a little bit tighter in the Pakistan game. But certainly with the way Shubman and Abhishek are going at the top and you’ve got your captain batting at three and the way Tilak played, we’re really looking for a No. 5,” ten Doeschate said during the pre-match presser ahead of India’s clash against Bangladesh at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday, September 24.
“So we believe Sanju is the best man for that job and we’ve got no doubt that he’ll figure out how to play that role in the future.”
Ryan ten Doeschate
Samson has only had two chances with the willow in the current Asia Cup. He moved up the lineup to No. 3 against Oman. After spending a fair amount of time in the middle, the Pulluvila native smashed three fours and as many sixes to finish with a score of 56 off 45 balls. Samson’s fluency was far from his peak.
In the most recent match between India and Pakistan, Samson too had an opportunity to bat. The right-handed batter could only muster 13 runs off 17 balls while batting at No. 5.
