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Sunil Gavaskar picks who between Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma is likely to start in the 2025 Asia Cup for India.
Sanju Samson or Jitesh Sharma – Who will find the spot in playing XI?
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar believes that the Men in Blue can not leave Sanju Samson out of their playing 11 in the 2025 Asia Cup, at least for the first few games. He thinks that for the newly minted vice-captain, Shubman Gill, to come into the picture, one of Rinku Singh and Shivam Dube will have to drop out.
Before Gill was made the vice-captain, India had a settled batting order, with perhaps just the number eight spot a bit of a worry. Now, though, Gill’s arrival is set to break the Samson-Abhishek Sharma opening partnership, where the latter two are almost undroppable. Sharma is the top-ranked batter in the ICC T20I rankings, while Samson is only the third batter with three or more centuries for India in the format.
India is taking a backup wicketkeeper to the UAE in Jitesh Sharma, who’s coming off excellent seasons in the IPL and domestics, but unlike Samson, he’s more of a lower-order hitter/finisher.
“If you take somebody like Sanju Samson in the core team, then you can’t leave him out in the reserves,” Gavaskar was quoted as saying by PTI. “Yes, I think it’s a very good headache to have for any selection committee that you have two capable batters and somebody like Sanju Samson who can maybe even bat at three and if needed come down at six as a finisher. And Jitesh has also done well in the recently concluded IPL where he’s played exceedingly well. So yes, I think it’s a pleasant headache for the tour selection committee,” he added.
Another undroppable name in the team is Axar Patel, who was the vice-captain when Gill was not picked in the last series. Over the past few years, he has become a crucial all-rounder for the team.
“But my feeling is that maybe Samson will probably get the nod ahead of Jitesh for at least the first couple of games. And then, depending on what his form is for the rest of the tournament. But this is what I think will happen. And with Axar Patel also likely to play in this side as a left-hander and somebody who can bowl good four overs, it looks like somebody like Rinku and Shivam might have to wait a bit before they get an opportunity,” he added.
September 05, 2025, 22:56 IST
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