'If you're not going to bat Sanju up the order, then keeping him really doesn't make sense.'
Sanju Samson's T20I future took another hit on Tuesday as India benched him yet again, favouring Jitesh Sharma's finishing skills in a team that now appears fully committed to its Shubman Gill-led blueprint.
Samson, primarily an opener and one of India's most destructive options at the top, had been pushed into a middle-order role after the BCCI introduced their Shubman Gill plan during the Asia Cup.
But after just five innings in that unfamiliar position, the wicketkeeper-batter was dropped as India opted for a specialist finisher in Jitesh, who also offers wicket-keeping depth.
On Tuesday, Samson missed out for the fourth straight match, as India retained Jitesh for the series opener against South Africa in Cuttack. The decision triggered sympathy for Samson, along with a dose of blunt reality from former players.
Speaking to Cricbuzz, former Kolkata Knight Riders team director Joy Bhattacharjya said there was little logic in keeping Samson in the T20I squad if Shubman Gill had been locked in as India's T20 World Cup opener.
He explained that pushing a proven opener who has scored three centuries in that role over the past year into the middle order didn't add up, especially when the selectors could easily pick another wicket-keeper-finisher like Rishabh Pant.
'If you're not going to bat Sanju up the order, then keeping him really doesn't make sense,' Bhattacharjya said.
'You might as well keep Rishabh Pant, who is used to batting at 4, 5, 6, because Sanju Samson has proven himself, he's scored three centuries at the top and done really well for you there. If you've fixed that spot and Shubman has taken it, then your 'keeper has to be a finisher, which is Jitesh,' Bhattacharjya added.
'I think India has gone with that and decided this is the process. In that case, I would bring in a second finisher-'keeper as backup, because it makes more sense to go down that road rather than have Sanju batting out of position. There's no point,' Bhattacharjya said.
Samson's numbers underline the point. Since 2023, he has the second-best strike rate (182.89) among India's T20I openers, behind only Abhishek Sharma (196.55). Across 13 innings in the last two years, he has piled up 417 runs, including three hundreds.
Former South Africa all-rounder Shaun Pollock agreed that Samson had endured a harsh outcome, especially with the BCCI elevating Shubman Gill into the Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma category -- a status he reinforced during the Test series in England.
'Yes, Sanju got a raw deal. But, you know, those opportunities are often created by people being injured or being rested, whatever it may be, and players step up and perform. I suppose you kind of need to look at Shubman Gill from a different perspective now.'
'I think he is almost being elevated to the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. And when they came back into teams, where did they go? They went back into their position. It wasn't a case of shifting them down,' Pollock said.
'I think what he's shown, even in that Test series in England, is that he's the number one, isn't he, batting-wise? So I get the fact that he was the man in possession, and with the stature that he has, it's a rough one on Sanju because he's played so well and he hasn't disappointed when he's been given the chance.'
'It's just team dynamics. When Shubman comes back, and I'm glad he's recovered from his neck injury, I think he's the best player, so he goes to the top. And you also look at the partnership he's formed with Abhishek over the years. They know each other's game really well and bounce off each other nicely.'
The debate over Samson overlaps with a larger shift in Indian cricket: Shubman Gill's rise as the long-term, all-format leader.
With Gill already serving as T20I vice-captain -- and captain of the Test and ODI teams -- it's expected he will take over from Suryakumar Yadav after next year's T20 World Cup. That would fulfil the BCCI's plan to return to a single captain across formats, a model India has historically preferred.
Former BCCI selector Salil Ankola revealed that the thought of promoting Gill as India's next captain wasn't recent. The BCCI identified him as the natural successor to Rohit Sharma as early as 2023, a year in which Gill struck centuries and double tons at ease, and still scored more than 350 runs at the ODI World Cup despite missing two matches due to dengue.
'We always thought Gill would become the captain. We had considered him for the role as early as 2023, believing he would take the reins into his hands. Selectors do take suggestions -- not only from the coach and captain but also from other senior players. They also felt he was the right guy, even those who retired earlier,' Ankola said on Vicky Lalwani's YouTube channel.
So when Rohit retired from Test cricket, Gill was the obvious successor. As captain, he delivered an extraordinary series in England, smashing 756 runs at 75.40, including four centuries. India's collapse in the home Test series against South Africa without him only reinforced his importance -- as both batter and leader.
'It is a collective decision. Everyone felt it, and he proved it in England. What a series he had! Under such pressure, if he scores 750 runs in England, that shows his mental capacity.' Ankola said.
'People will say someone else should have been captain, or bring someone back. Humans are very unsatisfied souls. Whatever good you do, they will find something bad in it. People think they know everything.'
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