Former India opener Kris Srikkanth has questioned the decision to demote Sanju Samson from opening position to middle-order. Srikkanth feels that Samson is ‘unlucky’ and has no option but to bat wherever the team demands him to. The former chief selector went on to say that they might start sending him at no.11 as well.
"The guy who's most unlucky is Sanju Samson,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel. “He was scoring centuries as an opener. But now they send him everywhere — from No. 3 to No. 8. If given an opportunity, they may send him at No. 11 also! A person like Sanju will naturally feel bad after doing so well at the top, but he has no option but to be tight-lipped and bat wherever the team asks him to.”
Samson was pushed down the order with Shubman Gill returning to the side for T20 Asia Cup 2025 as captain Suryakumar Yadav's deputy. He does not have a set batting position. At one point in the Asia Cup, he was slotted to bat at no.8 and Axar Patel was sent ahead of him.
Samson ‘ready to bat at any time’
However, the wicketkeeper-batter seems to have embraced the challenge. He said that only the openers have fixed batting positions in the team while everyone else will walk out to bat as per game situation.
“To be honest, I have played a lot of different roles for a lot of different teams. I have been part of this team for a long time now and have done different roles. I have opened the batting. I have finished matches. Now, I am batting in the middle order. Only the openers are fixed in this team. The rest of the batters have to be ready to bat at any time and in any situation. We are well prepared for that,' Samson told broadcasters at Manuka Oval, Canberra on October 29.
India top order fires before rain plays spoilsport
In the T20I series opener, Samson did not walk out to bat as rain played spoilsport. The game was abandoned after 9.4 overs were bowled. While Abhishek Sharma departed for a 14-ball 19, Gill and Suryakumar remained unbeaten. Gill was batting on 37 runs from 20 balls, including four fours and a six. Suryakumar regained form and hit two sixes, three fours in his unbeaten 24-ball 39. India were 97/1 after 9.4 overs before the game was called off.
Samson will be seen in action in the second T20I will be played on October 31 at Melbourne Cricket Ground.