India captain Suryakumar Yadav said Shubman Gill deserved an opportunity at the top of the order following his return to the T20I line-up, which justified the team management’s decision to place him ahead of Sanju Samson. Speaking to the press on the eve of the first T20I between India and South Africa in Cuttack, Suryakumar emphasized that Samson remains part of the plans despite being dropped from the XI during the previous series in Australia.
Returning to T20I cricket in 2023, Samson has impressed after being given consistent opportunities to open the batting since October 2024. He hit three centuries in five innings over the course of October and November, he looks set to cement his place in the XI while forming a strong opening partnership with Abhishek Sharma.
However, Samson had to vacate the starting slot once Shubman Gill has been named in the Asia Cup squad earlier in 2025. Gill, who was a T20I regular until July 2024, did not feature in the format for more than a year while focusing on ODIs and Tests, particularly after becoming a mainstay in the Test team and joining its leadership group.
Samson was moved to the middle order but managed only one fifty in five innings before landing in Australia. Jitesh Sharma, who impressed as a finisher for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2025, got an opportunity in the lower middle order, in the last three matches of this tour in November.
“As for Sanju, when he came to the circuit, he was batting higher up the order. Now the thing is, apart from the opening rounds, I feel everyone else has to be very flexible. When he opened the innings, he did really well. But Shubman played ahead of him in the Sri Lanka series, so he deserved that spot,” Suryakumar said.
Gill’s return to the T20Is was inevitable after he was named Test captain, with India eyeing him as their next star across the format. As pointed out by Suryakumar, Gill was given consistent opportunities in the T20I team before Samson’s comeback and even scored a T20I hundred in February 2023.
SAMSON VS JITESH?
Asked if Samson remains in contention, Suryakumar replied in the affirmative, noting that having two flexible wicket-keeper batsmen in the team is a welcome dilemma.
“We gave Sanju Samson opportunities; he was ready to bat in any number. It’s good to see a player ready to bat in any position,” said Suryakumar.
“From 3 to 6, anywhere. I’ve told all the batsmen: apart from the opener, everyone has to be flexible. Both are in the scheme of things. It’s always good to have both as part of the team. One can open, one can bat lower down the order. Both can handle all roles. It’s an asset to our team and it’s a headache,” he added.
Jitesh comes in for the T20I series in patchy form as he managed just two thirty-plus scores for Baroda in Baroda’s six matches in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Samson, meanwhile, fared better, scoring two fifties and two plus-forties in six matches for Kerala.
The Asia Cup-winning captain made it clear that India are intent on strengthening their combination heading into the T20 World Cup, which will be held from February 7 to March 8, 2026 in Sri Lanka and India.
“We don’t want to change anything much even going into the next series. The only thing is the type of cricket we want to play, that’s something we try to assess before every series. We don’t want to change anything else. Touch wood, everything is going well,” he said.
Suryakumar also confirmed this Shubman Gill, who has recovered from a neck injury which ruled him out of the ODI and Test series against South Africa, is fully fit and available for selection. Hardik Pandya is also set to return to international cricket for the first time since the Asia Cup.
India were scheduled to practice in Cuttack from 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM as they tried to familiarize themselves with the conditions and the pitch at the Barabati Stadium.
India will play 10 T20Is, including the upcoming five-match series against South Africa, before next year’s T20 World Cup.
– The end
Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
December 8, 2025
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