Following Shubman Gill's return to the T20I setup during the Asia Cup 2025, he replaced Sanju Samson at the top of the batting order.
While Samson had an exemplary time at the top of the order, he was pushed down to the middle order to keep his place on the team. His role changed from an opener who kick-started the innings to a finisher at No. 5 or 6 alongside Hardik Pandya.
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So far, the batter has not been tested too much in his new position; however, he did well in a crucial phase of the run chase in the Asia Cup final, when India were reduced to 20/3.
With the T20 World Cup approaching, Samson revealed about his plans of nailing down any position he gets an opportunity to bat at.
Sanju Samson opens up about his new role in T20I cricket
In a conversation with Anant Tyagi on Star Sports ahead of the T20I series, Samson opened up about his new role in the team since the Asia Cup. He shared that the new experience will help him finish the matches for India.
He further revealed how the team management wants the middle order to be fluild, in order to prepare to be ready to bat in any position depending on the game situation and team's requirements.
"To be very honest, I have played a lot of different roles for a lot of different teams. I have been a part of this team for so many years, and I have done different roles: I have batted up the order, I have finished the games, and I have battled in the middle," said Samson.
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"I feel I have the experience and the shots to bat at any number. Nowadays, I don't think that after opening, we don't have a certain number. It depends on the game situation. A batsman has to be open with whatever batting order is given to them. I am very much prepared to do that and confident that I can contribute," he added.
Sanju Samson's record as an opener vs middle-order batter:
Samson's better performances for India in T20Is have come as an opener, particularly since he got a sustained run of games after the T20 World Cup 2024. He has complemented Abhishek Sharma well at the top of the order.
Before that, his T20I career numbers read poorly in terms of average and strike rate. Now, Samson is back in that same role but with experience, the management will hope the Indian batter can still be impactful in a non-opener role.
| Position | Innings | Runs | Avg/SR | Highest | 50/100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opener | 17 | 522 | 32.62/178.76 | 111 | 1/3 |
| Middle order (3-7) | 25 | 471 | 21.40/124.27 | 58 | 2/0 |
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