Sanju Samson was displaced from his regular opening position upon vice-captain Shubman Gill's return to the T20I team for the first time since July 2024.
While Gill opened the innings against UAE, Samson still featured in the playing XI, in what looked like a number 3 option. However, after Abhishek Sharma's wicket, it was captain Suryakumar Yadav who came in to bat.
Since Samson and Abhishek started opening in T20Is for India, the duo have scored three and two centuries respectively, while scoring at a strike rate of over 180, which raised questions over Gill opening the innings.
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Following India's win over UAE in the opening match of their Asia Cup campaign, India's batting coach has offered clarity over the matter and spoke about Samson's position in the coming matches.
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Where will Sanju Samson bat against Pakistan?
Ahead of India's clash against arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday, coach Sitanshu Kotak did not explicitly tell where the 30-year-old would bat; however, making it clear that number 3 could be an option, considering the batter's familiarity with the position.
"Sanju Samson hasn't batted a lot at 5 or 6 but that doesn't mean he can't bat at that position, everyone knows their roles. Last match he didn't bat at 3 but that doesn't mean same thing will happen in the next game," he said.
Samson actively opens the batting for his state Kerala and Rajasthan Royals and has 1922 runs as an opener in 69 innings at a strike rate of 144.83.
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In T20I cricket, Samson has scored 522 runs in 17 innings at a strike rate of 180 and three centuries, as opposed to Shubman Gill's 598 runs at a strike rate of 141.
While Gill is likely to continue at the top of the order for the rest of the Asia Cup, Samson's spot remains under a scanner, with Jitesh Sharma also emerging as a strong candidate if India chooses to go for a pure finisher alongside Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube.