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Sanju Samson (Getty Images)
TimesofIndia.com successful Dubai: Sunil has been driving a taxi successful Dubai for the past 18 years and vividly recalls 2 occasions erstwhile helium had the accidental to driblet Sanju Samson — who hails from his ain village, Vizhinjam, a coastal municipality adjacent Thiruvananthapuram successful Kerala — to the airport.There is simply a glint successful his eyes erstwhile helium talks astir Sanju. "Call it destiny oregon anything. I person dropped him doubly astatine the Dubai airport. One time, helium was alone, the different clip helium was with his member (Sally). What a boy. A existent gentleman," helium shares.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!In 2 of the 4 matches India has played, the loudest cheer immoderate batter has received portion walking retired to bat has been for Sanju Samson.At 30, Sanju Samson has been asked to bash thing helium has ne'er done successful his T20 career. He has been a top-order batter for his Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Rajasthan Royals and for India. He has either batted arsenic an opener oregon astatine No. 3.In this Asia Cup, helium has been fixed an unfamiliar role.
Poll
Should India proceed to experimentation with Sanju Samson successful the mediate order?
Yes, helium needs much chancesNo, helium should beryllium astatine the topIt's risky to alteration batting order
Sanju Samson scored a scratchy 45-ball 56 connected a sluggish Abu Dhabi transportation against Oman and looked wholly retired of sorts during his 17-ball enactment against Pakistan successful Dubai. He struggles erstwhile the shot gets soft, and with Jitesh Sharma waiting successful the wings, having done highly good for the IPL 2025 victor Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) astatine 5 and 6, it volition beryllium absorbing to spot however agelong India persist with Sanju Samson.
Sanju Samson’s numbers arsenic a non-opener for India don’t adhd up well. In 23 matches, helium has scored lone 408 runs, with an mean of 20.40 and a onslaught complaint of 121.8. Bangladesh would beryllium looking to people him with rotation successful the mediate overs.
'He's the champion antheral for the job': Ryan 10 Doeschate connected Sanju Samson's caller role
India’s adjunct manager
Ryan 10 Doeschate
feels Sanju is inactive "figuring out" however to play that relation successful the mediate order."There's 2 outings now, 2 decent chances, and he's inactive figuring retired however to play that role," 10 Doeschate said."I deliberation the wicket was a small spot bushed successful the Pakistan game. But certainly, with the mode Shubman Gill and
Abhishek Sharma
are going astatine the top, and with your skipper (
Suryakumar Yadav
) batting astatine 3 and the mode Tilak (Verma) has played, we're truly looking for a No. 5. So we judge Sanju is the champion antheral for that occupation and we’ve got nary uncertainty he’ll fig retired however to play that relation successful the future."However, determination is nary question implicit Sanju’s spot successful the playing XI. Head manager
Gautam Gambhir
has famously told him that helium wouldn’t driblet him from the squad adjacent if helium scored "21 ducks."
Gambhir wasn’t the lone 1 to backmost him. Samson revealed that Suryakumar Yadav, during the Duleep Trophy successful 2024, promised him a agelong of 7 matches arsenic an opener.But with Shubman Gill’s elevation arsenic T20I vice-captain, Sanju, who has done highly good astatine the apical with Abhishek Sharma, mislaid his spot and is presently floating successful the mediate order.After the six-wicket triumph implicit Pakistan, skipper Suryakumar Yadav made it wide that barring the 2 openers, India volition spell with a flexible mediate order."I deliberation everyone should beryllium flexible successful batting but for the openers. Because we person left-handers, right-handers, power-hitters, and immoderate players who tin play the crippled well. So it's precise important to beryllium flexible," helium explained."So irrespective of the request of the hour, if idiosyncratic has scored 50 astatine No. 3 oregon No. 4, and determination is simply a request to bat astatine No. 5 oregon 6 successful the adjacent game, past the batsmen person accepted that we volition bat similar that."And this is however the squad volition run. Because successful this format, I consciousness that if players make interaction and people tiny but important runs, past I consciousness it volition beryllium a precise unsafe team."On Wednesday against Bangladesh -- against whom Sanju cracked a 40-ball 100 past twelvemonth successful Hyderabad, volition person different accidental to cement his spot successful an unfamiliar relation successful that "flexible" mediate order.
