Sunil Gavaskar Advocates for Sanju Samson to Be Part of India’s Playing XI Ahead of Asia Cup

The 25-year-old’s return however, creates problems for Sanju Samson, who finds his place in the playing XI under threat. Both players are natural openers in the shortest format, forcing the team management to choose who will partner Abhishek Sharma at the top.

Gill might get the nod ahead of the Kerala batter, after an impressive 2025 IPL season, where he finished with 650 runs. Samson, by contrast, had a difficult IPL season, managing only 285 runs in nine games due to injury issues.

Ex-India opener Sunil Gavaskar however, opined that dropping the 30-year-old to the bench would be a huge mistake. He suggested that Samson, if necessary, could also be pushed down the order at no. 3 or lower, and noted that a player of caliber should be included in the playing XI. His suggestion is bolstered by Samson’s stellar T20I record since 2024, during which he has scored over 400 runs, including three centuries. Gavaskar told the reporters:

If you take somebody like Sanju Samson in the core team, then you can’t leave him out in the reserves. Somebody like Samson who can maybe even bat at three and if needed come down at six as a finisher.

Furthermore, Gavaskar weighed in on the wicket-keeping debate between Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma. Although he acknowledged Sharma’s remarkable IPL season, which culminated in a title win with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the 76-year-old gave the edge to the Rajasthan Royals’ star. He however, added that the choice would depend on the form of the two players throughout the tournament.

My feeling is that maybe [Sanju] Samson will probably get the nod ahead of Jitesh [Sharma] for at least the first couple of games. And then, depending on what his form is for the rest of the tournament.

The former India captain also predicted the batting order, with Abhishek and Gill as openers, Samson at no. 3, captain Suryakumar Yadav at no. 4, and Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya as finishers. Nonetheless, the final decision rests with head coach Gautam Gambhir, who faces a dilemma in picking the playing XI.

Kochi Blue Tigers Storm into 2025 KCL Final, Despite Skipper Sanju Samson’s Absence

Sanju Samson’s Kochi Blue Tigers have successfully made their way into the final of the ongoing 2025 Kerala Cricket League, despite missing out on the services of their star player and team captain. KBT defeated Calicut Globstars in the second semi-final, to make it through to the penultimate clash. 

Samson departed for national team duties midway through the 2025 KCL season. The 30-year-old only played six matches throughout the season, with the last one being against Alleppey Ripples. He however, remains the third highest run-getter with 368 runs in just five innings, at an average of 73.60, which puts him in a comfortable position to challenge for the opening spot in the Indian T20I side, at the Asia Cup.

In Samson’s absence, veteran bowler Saly Samson assumed the captaincy. KBT faced Calicut in the semi-final, and set a challenging target of 187 runs. In response, Calicut struggled, managing to score only 171 for 7, and ultimately losing by 15 runs. Muhammad Ashik was named POTM for his stellar all-round display, contributing a quickfire 31 runs off just 10 balls and also taking three wickets.

Meanwhile, in the other semi-final, Aries Kollam Sailors humiliated Thrissur Titans by ten wickets, in a low-scoring encounter whether Kollam only had to chase an 87-run target. AKS and KBT will face each other in the final of the 2025 KCL on September 7 in Thiruvananthapuram.