Ever since Shubman Gill was announced as India's vice-captain for Asia Cup 2025, it has been widely debated as to who will take up the No.3 position in the batting order. Gill is expected to feature in every match for the Men in Blue during the tournament as he is the deputy to Suryakumar Yadav and the former is also likely to be given the opening spot alongside Abhishek Sharma. This will lead to Sanju Samson either dropping down the order or getting replaced by someone else in the playing XI.
Tilak Varma is the player expected to bat at the No.3 spot as he performed brilliantly in India's previous T20I assignments against South Africa and England. The left-hand batter is also currently the No.2 ranked player in the world when it comes to the shortest format according to the ICC Rankings.
Kaif believes that Tilak can wait for his turn
However, despite Tilak's fantastic performance while batting at No.3, former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif feels that the 222-year-old isd young and can wait for his turn. According to Kaif, Samson should be the one to bat for the Men in Blue at the No.3 spot in Asia Cup.
“Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill will open (in the Asia Cup). For the No. 3 spot, I feel Tilak Varma is a youngster and can wait for his turn. Sanju is an experienced batter, and he could be groomed by giving him consistent opportunities at No. 3. There is a World Cup after six months, and he deserves a chance,” Kaif said on his YouTube channel.
Kaif further stated that Samson will be the one who will be able to successfully tackle spinners like Rashid Khan during the continental tournament. He also pointed out how the wicketkeeper-batter is a known power-hitter and can hit sixes for fun.
“He is among the top 10 six-hitters in the IPL. That’s why I believe when Rashid Khan comes to bowl in the middle overs, there cannot be a better player against him than Sanju, as he can hit sixes down the ground,” Kaif stated.
“South Africa has one of the toughest conditions for batting, and he has hit two centuries as an opener there. He plays both pace and spin well, and in the IPL, he scores 400-500 runs every year,” he added.
Meanwhile, India will begin their Asia Cup campaign with the clash against UAE on September 10 before locking horns against arch-rivals Pakistan on September 14. They will wrap up their group stage with the match against Oman on September 19.