Former India opener Aakash Chopra has criticised the team management for its confusing approach towards wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson, who appears to have lost his place in the XI following Jitesh Sharma’s emergence. Samson, who batted at number three during the Australia tour, was dropped from the playing XI after just one appearance, while Jitesh impressed with a quickfire cameo in Hobart. Chopra, speaking on his YouTube channel, questioned the logic behind Samson’s frequent shuffling and eventual exclusion.
“The biggest question is, what are we doing with Sanju Samson? He has done reasonably well, scoring a fifty against Oman and performing decently in the Asia Cup final. Yet, he keeps getting moved around and dropped. The management said they know what they are doing with him, and we respected that — but now this situation makes no sense,” Chopra said. Since the 2024 T20 World Cup, Samson has been India’s third-highest run-scorer in T20Is and has excelled as an opener alongside Abhishek Sharma. However, since Shubman Gill’s return as vice-captain, Samson has been pushed to the middle order and now finds himself out of the XI entirely.
Sanju Samson: Batting Position Instability
Asia Cup 2025 to Australia Tour (Sep–Nov 2025)
| Date | Opposition | Venue | Runs | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Sep | vs U.A.E. | Dubai | – | DNB |
| 14 Sep | vs Pakistan | Dubai | – | DNB |
| 19 Sep | vs Oman | Abu Dhabi | 56 | 3 |
| 21 Sep | vs Pakistan | Dubai | 13 | 5 |
| 24 Sep | vs Bangladesh | Dubai | – | DNB |
| 26 Sep | vs Sri Lanka | Dubai | 39 | 5 |
| 28 Sep | vs Pakistan | Dubai | 24 | 5 |
| 29 Oct | vs Australia | Canberra | – | DNB |
| 31 Oct | vs Australia | Melbourne | 2 | 3 |
| 2 Nov | vs Australia | Hobart | – | Dropped |
| 6 Nov | vs Australia | Queensland | – | Dropped |
Chopra further questioned if Jitesh, who has replaced Samson, would receive consistent backing or face a similar fate. “If Jitesh has done well and the team has won, logic says you continue with him. But will they actually do that? I don’t know. There’s no clear direction here,” he added.
