'If he cannot...': Mohammad Kaif feels this star player will not have a place in India's playing XI for Asia Cup

Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif believes that it will be hard for Sanju Samson to find a spot in the Men in Blue's playing XI for Asia Cup. He feels that the selectors will prefer vice-captain Shubman Gill over the 30-year-old and the latter will eventually have no choice but to sit on the bench.

This comes after India's 15-member squad for the continental tournament was announced on Tuesday by the head of selection committee, Ajit Agarkar. One of the main talking points about the squad was how Gill was not only called back to the T20I set-up, but was also made the side's vice-captain. This appointment once again showed that the selectors see Gill as a future leader and he may very well be the one who will succeed Suryakumar Yadav as India's next T20I captain.

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Kaif feels that Gill will open the batting for India in Asia Cup alongside Abhishek Sharma while Tilak Varma and Suryakumar will come in to bat at No.3 and 4 spots respectively. This will see Samson miss out on making the cut into the playing XI as he doesn't have much experience to bat at lower positions anyway.

"I think Sanju Samson's place in the XI is tough. Like they said, when the team reaches the UAE, they will see how the teams and players are performing. In that way, the XI will be made. If Sanju Samson cannot come in the top 4, which I believe at the moment. There will be Gill and Abhishek Sharma to open. Tilak Varma will play at number three; his record is brilliant for India. And Suryakumar Yadav will come in at number four," Kaif said on his YouTube channel.

Samson was brilliant with the bat for India in 2024

Meanwhile, Samson has so far played 42 matches for India in the shortest format, scoring a total of 861 runs, including three centuries and two fifties. He has a strike-rate of 152.38 alongwith an average of 25.32 and was brilliant for the team last year as he hit three exceptional T20I centuries.

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On the other hand, India will begin their Asia Cup campaign with the clash against UAE on September 10 before facing-off against arch-rivals Pakistan on September 14. They will wrap up their group stage with the match againsty Oman on September 19.