Former India cricketer and coach, Ravi Shastri, has reportedly backed Sanju Samson for the opening spot at the Asia Cup. While no official details have been revealed about the Men in Blue’s opening pair in the upcoming competition, one would assume it would be Abhishek Sharma and Samson, taking the last few T20I series in account. That said, the introduction of Shubman Gill in the squad has raised speculations regarding a possible change.
The 1983 World Cup winner, however, has reportedly said that Shubman Gill, the current Indian vice captain, should replace someone else in the top order, and that the Rajasthan Royals skipper should be left alone. Shastri described Samson as “dangerous”, stating that he can win India matches batting at the top.
Shastri backs Samson for India top order
According to a recent report, Ravi Shastri said that “Samson is at his most dangerous at the top. That is where he can win you matches. If he fires in any of the innings, he wins you matches. He is best left alone at the top“.
As mentioned earlier, he would apparently like Shubman Gill to replace someone else rather than Samson, even suggesting that the former would find it challenging at the top of the order.
“When you look at Samson’s record for India in T20Is at the top of the order, even someone like Shubman will be challenged. He may come in for someone else, but I think Samson should be left alone. He is dangerous. He is lethal. He is a match-winner.“
It will be interesting to see the combination India chooses to go with in the Asia Cup. While Sanju Samson took time to shine in the national shirt, he has mostly had a good run of late. His bat was quiet against England at home, but he did score three centuries before that, two against South Africa, and one against Bangladesh.
Gill, too, is coming off an impressive run of form from the recent Tests against England, but it is worth noting that he batted at number 4 in the series.
