NEW DELHI: Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has raised serious doubts over Sanju Samson’s future in India’s T20I setup, suggesting that the Kerala wicketkeeper-batter may have lost his place in the format’s evolving pecking order.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Samson, who has been benched for the last two T20Is against Australia, has seen Jitesh Sharma preferred as wicketkeeper-batter in the lower middle order — a move endorsed by both Suryakumar Yadav and head coach Gautam Gambhir.
Kaif, speaking on his YouTube channel, minced no words while dissecting Samson’s predicament.“If Sanju Samson were playing, there would be no confusion, but with Shubman Gill as vice-captain playing in all matches, Sanju Samson seems sidelined,” Kaif explained.
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According to Kaif, India’s team management appears to have moved towards role-specific selections, and that shift may have cost Samson his place.“Jitesh Sharma is seen as a better finisher at number five or six than Sanju, which works in Sharma’s favour,” Kaif said. “But because Gill is being groomed as a future captain and player, Sanju has lost his spot.”Kaif, however, was quick to acknowledge Samson’s batting prowess.“Sanju’s record is excellent, a strike rate of around 150. But they are backing players by the batting number position now,” he added.Samson had enjoyed a strong run earlier in the year, scoring freely as an opener alongside Abhishek Sharma. But the decision to fast-track Gill’s leadership path has pushed him to the sidelines once again.With home T20I series against South Africa and New Zealand later this year, Samson’s chances to reclaim his spot appear slim. India’s long-term T20 vision may have left one of India’s most talented stroke-makers fighting for relevance.
