Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar advised Suryakumar Yadav, Gautam Gambhir to include Sanju Samson in their playing XI in the must-win clash against West Indies, which is scheduled to take place at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Bangar believes the wicketkeeper-batter will bring much-needed balance and intent to India’s batting approach.
Why India should include Sanju Samson?
Bangar further explained the tactical advantage of having a right-hander at the top of the order. He reckons that including Samson in the playing XI will deal with the opposition's plan from dictating terms with spin, particularly off-spin, against the Indian batting line-up, which is filled with left-handers at the top.
"With a right-hander at the top, India are depriving the opposition of the opportunity to use off-spin as much. It’s not necessarily that off-spinners are causing a lot of problems to left-handers. It’s just that the batters are trying to force the issue against them and, in that process, getting out," Bangar told Jio Hotstar.
"This is a good mix because if you have three right-handers in the top seven, you can maintain the right-left combination and deprive the opposition of using four overs of off-spin," he added.
Sanju's early attack took the pressure off Abhishek: Bangar
Bangar further stated how Samson's inclusion in the playing XI made a massive difference as the Men in Blue struggled with opening partnerships earlier in the tournament. He believes that Sanju's early attack took the pressure off Abhishek and helped him settle against Zimbabwe.
"I thought Sanju Samson was very proactive and moved a lot in the crease. Because of that, he created run-scoring opportunities and, in that sense, gave India the start they were looking for," he said.
"India were averaging less than 10 in terms of opening partnership in the four or five games they had played before the Zimbabwe match. So, the way he played, allowed Abhishek time to settle in, and by then India had already gotten off to a good start," Bangar noted.
Samson featured in two T20 World Cup 2026 matches and his most recent outing came against Zimbabwe in their must win clash where he scored 24 runs in 15 balls.