‘Clear case for leadership’: Shastri backs Samson as future India T20I captain

NEW DELHI: Former India caput manager Ravi Shastri has thrown his value down Sanju Samson arsenic a aboriginal skipper of India’s T20I side, saying the wicketkeeper-batter has emerged arsenic a “clear case” for enactment aft his stunning emergence implicit the past year.Samson, who was 1 of India’s standout performers successful their victorious ICC T20 World Cup 2026 run and was named Player of the Tournament, has present been tipped by Shastri arsenic a superior contender to instrumentality complaint of the nationalist broadside successful the shortest format wrong the adjacent 2 to 3 years.

Speaking connected The ICC Review, Shastri said India whitethorn person to program for a enactment modulation earlier the adjacent T20 World Cup successful 2028, with existent skipper Suryakumar Yadav acceptable to beryllium 37 by then.“India, travel the adjacent (T20) World Cup (in 2028), mightiness beryllium looking for a caller captain, depending connected however Surya goes implicit the adjacent mates of years,” Shastri said.The erstwhile India all-rounder believes Samson has already strengthened his lawsuit due to the fact that of his anterior enactment acquisition with

Rajasthan Royals

and his increasing stature successful India’s batting line-up.“But Sanju Samson has enactment himself determination for a enactment relation due to the fact that he’s done that successful the past for Rajasthan,” Shastri said.

“And he’s a certainty successful the side, astatine the apical of the order, highly destructive. So I spot him, this is conscionable the commencement of thing much you’ll spot from Sanju implicit the adjacent 2 oregon 3 years.”Samson led Rajasthan Royals for 5 IPL seasons and guided them to the last successful 2022, enhancing his credentials arsenic a captain. But it is his caller translation arsenic a match-winner connected the planetary signifier that has convinced Shastri.“But my connection this season, the mode he’s played aft his show successful the T20 World Cup wherever single-handedly helium astir won India games — the large games, the quarter-finals, semi-finals, the last — and the mode helium stepped up and the maturity he’s showing present successful the IPL, makes him a wide lawsuit arsenic acold arsenic I’m acrophobic for enactment successful the future,” helium said.Shastri besides said 31-year-old Samson has yet silenced long-standing doubts astir his consistency.“I deliberation helium has enactment a lid connected each those question marks. There was ever ability. People would, successful fact, beryllium disappointed due to the fact that helium wouldn’t bash justness to that ability,” Shastri added.