Sanju Samson… spare a thought for the guy. Throughout last year, he did not put a single foot wrong and went on to smash batting records for India. And still, as luck would have it, Samson could well end up not playing a single game for India in the Asia Cup, the squad for which was announced on Tuesday by the BCCI chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar. The big takeaway from the 15-member squad was the inclusion of Shubman Gill. Contrary to reports in the lead-up to the announcement, Gill didn’t just get picked but was promoted as vice-captain of India’s T20I team, all but shutting the doors on Samson’s Asia Cup aspirations.
Now, you’re probably wondering what Gill’s return has to do with Samson, right? Well, Samson fans, look away. Gill’s T20I return has a direct implication on Samson. Why? Two things. Agarkar, while reading out the list of the players, took Jitesh Sharma’s name ahead of Samson, despite the latter regularly featuring in India’s scheme of things. Secondly, when a batter of Gill’s calibre, now as vice-captain, is around, there is no way he won’t play in the XI. And when he does, who will he replace? Your guess is as good as ours.
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Former India batter Aakash Chopra confirmed this theory shortly after the squad reveal. Despite smoking three T20I centuries in 2024 – 107 and 109* against South Africa away from home and bludgeoning another hundred – 101 – against Bangladesh, Samson would have been a no-brainer, right? Right? Well, the answer is no.
“India have moved towards the direction of an all-format captain. That’s how it started. But one individual’s selection has sealed the fate of another. Be it from Shubman Gill’s bat or through Ajit Agarkar’s pen, Samson’s destiny has been decided. He is not playing in the XI. You will see him sit out because Tilak will play at 3 and Hardik and Surya will retain their places,” Chopra said.
Agarkar’s hints didn’t stop there
Another subtle hint dropped by Agarkar that all but confirmed Samson’s ouster from the Playing XI is his mentioning how ‘Samson played when Gill was away’, indirectly referring to him as a replacement player. Sure enough, he did not call a spade a spade and redirected the question to the team management and captain when asked if Gill would be part of the Playing XI, but these are old trades, which, to be honest, aren’t that old anymore.
“One thing is very clear about this team. More than the personalities, these decisions have been taken considering the positions. They have done justice to it, which is absolutely ok. I don’t have any issues with it. But Gill’s return means Samson will now won’t play and Jitesh Sharma will be the keeper,” pointed out Chopra.
Since the last World Cup, Abhishek and Sanju Samson have been India’s most prolific batters, scoring 535 and 487 runs in 16 innings respectively. However, as an opening pair, they have struggled to click, managing just 165 runs across 12 innings for the first wicket, with only one fifty-plus stand that lasted a mere 27.1 overs. But there’s no denying their batting capabilities individually.