Sanju Samson Opens Up on Batting Order Shift After Shubman Gill’s Return

Sanju Samson shared his thoughts on adapting to a new batting role after losing his opening spot to Shubman Gill during India’s T20I series in Australia.

Sanju Samson, who had been promoted as India’s T20I opener since Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav took charge last year, has now found himself adapting to a different role in the batting order. The wicketkeeper-batter enjoyed a prolific run at the top, scoring three hundreds in a calendar year, but the return of Shubman Gill during the Asia Cup saw him move down the order.

Gill opened alongside his childhood friend Abhishek Sharma during the continental event, and while Abhishek retained his spot, he was later pushed to the middle order. The same opening pair — Gill and Abhishek — took the field in the first T20I against Australia in Canberra, which was eventually abandoned due to rain.

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Ahead of the match, Samson opened up about the change in his role and his approach to the team’s flexible batting lineup.

“To be honest, I have played a lot of different roles for a lot of different teams,” Samson told the broadcasters.

“I have been part of this team for a long time now and have done different roles. I have opened the batting. I have finished matches. Now, I am batting in the middle order. Only the openers are fixed in this team. The rest of the batters have to be ready to bat at any time and in any situation. We are well prepared for that,” he added.

Adapting to Conditions

Samson admitted that the slow and low surfaces in Dubai and Abu Dhabi initially challenged his rhythm. However, he delivered a vital knock in the Asia Cup final against Pakistan, steadying India’s innings during a crucial phase.

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Meanwhile, the opening T20I in Canberra was washed out after rain interrupted India’s promising start. Before the downpour, captain Suryakumar Yadav scored an unbeaten 39 off 24 balls, adding 62 runs with Shubman Gill, who remained not out on 37 from 20 deliveries.

Earlier, Abhishek Sharma provided a quick start with a 19-run cameo before falling to Nathan Ellis. India were 78 for 1 in 9.4 overs when persistent showers forced the match to be called off.