Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson seems to be preparing/auditioning for a middle-order role for the upcoming T20 Asia Cup 2025. After Shubman Gill was named vice-captain of the T20I squad, Samson decided to bat down the order in the ongoing Kerala Cricket League (KCL) 2025. However, the experiment did not work as he struggled to hit even one boundary and scored at a strike rate just under 60 for Kochi Blue Tigers in their clash against Alleppey Ripples.
Kochi Blue Tigers were put to bat first. They got off to a terrific start despite losing three wickets in the powerplay overs. They were 87/3 after six overs. Samson walked in to bat in the 10th over after Vinoop Manoharan departed for a 31-ball 66. Sanju struggled in the middle overs, facing too many dot deliveries In the 17th over, domestic stalwart Jalaj Saxena ended his stay at the crease on the last ball of his spell. He managed to score just 13 runs from 22 balls.
Big win for Kochi Blue Tigers
After Sanju's wicket, Alfi Francis John's unbeaten 13-ball 31 cameo featuring three consecutive sixes off the last three deliveries helped Kochi Blue Tigers post 183/8. This was enough to keep Alleppey Ripples at bay. They were bowled out for 149 in 19.2 overs and lost the match by 34 runs. Pacer KM Asif, who has played under the captaincy of Samson in RR, claimed four wickets for 23 runs. Muhammad Ashik bagged four wickets as well. This was Kochi Blue Tigers’ second win of the season. They are at the top of the points table.Â
In the previous game, Sanju did not get to bat as Kochi Blue Tigers bowled out Adani Trivandrum Royals for 97 and chased down the target with eight wickets in hand and 49 balls to spare.
Where will Samson bat in T20 Asia Cup 2025?
If Gill opens the innings with Abhishek Sharma, Samson may have to prepare for the middle-order role. Tilak Varma is set to bat at no.3 with captain Suryakumar Yadav to follow or vice versa. The other wicketkeeper in the squad is Jitesh Sharma who was exceptional in the finisher role for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.Â
“Sanju was playing because Shubman and Yashasvi were not available at that point. So was Abhishek. Abhishek’s performances make it hard to leave him out, plus his bowling is handy. Like I said, Shubman was the vice-captain the last time we played T20Is with a full squad, right after the last World Cup in Sri Lanka. Even then, we were thinking along those lines. Now that he is available, he has been picked,” chief selector Ajit Agarkar said in the press conference after announcing the squad.
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“It’s their headache to pick the batting line-up. Our job was to pick the 15. We’ve got some real depth as far as T20 cricket is concerned, and we are very happy about it,” he added.
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Samson’s T20I numbers at batting positions from 1 to 7
Samson's best in T20Is has come when he is opening the innings. From 17 innings, he has 522 runs, including three centuries and one fifty. At no.3, he has three innings and scored 33 runs. At no.4, he has scored 213 runs from 11 innings, including just one fifty. At no.5, from five innings, he has 62 runs. At no.6 and no.7, he has just one innings with scores of 12 and 19 respectively.