Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif advised Gautam Gambhir and the BCCI management to pick Sanju Samson over Shubman Gill as an opener in the ongoing T20I series against South Africa. Gill, who came back in India's T20I side before the Asia Cup 2025 has yet to fire runs from his bat in the format. On the other hand, Samson, who featured as an opener in T20Is after Rohit Sharma's retirement, has had a great outing where he smashed three centuries.
Kaif for Gill vs Samson
After Gill's inclusion in the squad, India pushed the in-form Samson to the middle-order to make space for the ODI and Test captain. Both players struggled in the new roles, but only Samson was dropped.
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Gill has yet to score a half-century or hit more than two sixes in a match. His latest dismissal was a golden duck at home in the second T20I of the South Africa series.
“Look at how he is getting out, caught at slip, stepping out and mistiming, trying aggressive strokes like Abhishek Sharma and getting caught," Kaif said on his YouTube channel. “He has tried everything. I think the time has come to give him a break and try players who are proven. Sanju Samson is a top-quality player; he hasn’t received enough chances. There should not be double standards. Even vice-captains have been dropped before. If it is in the team’s interest to rest Gill and bring in someone else, there is nothing wrong with it."
Partial selection?
Kaif also indirectly alleged that only some players get extended runs in the team while others have to contend with ‘very few chances'.
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“But now it feels like the time has come for changes. You dropped players like Jaiswal, you kept Sanju Samson on the bench without giving him consistent chances, even though he scored heavily as an opener. He hit three centuries in five T20 innings, something no one in history has done. Some players get very few chances, while others get extended runs because you want to settle them in the team. That is clearly visible. But now, I think the pressure has increased so much that it is time for a change somewhere," he added.
After South Africa's win in the second T20I, the five-match series is currently levelled at 1-1 and the third T20I will take place on December 14 in Dharamsala.