'...Why Is he Not In The Side?': Ravi Shastri Stunned By Sanju Samson's Batting, Commentary Goes Viral

Sanju Samson’s brief knock against South Africa on Friday made the Indian team management reconsider him at the top of the order. Just a day before the T20 World Cup squad announcement, the wicketkeeper-batter

stamped his authority with a 22-ball 37, which included 4 fours and 2 sixes.

Sanju walked in as an opener after a foot niggle sidelined him from the fifth T20I in Ahmedabad. Joining forces with Abhishek Sharma, he put up a 63-run stand for the opening wicket. Although his outing was cut short by George Linde, his stroke play garnered massive praise from former India head coach Ravi Shastri.

It was the 5^th over of the Indian innings when Samson hammered Marco Jansen’s fuller delivery over extra cover. Left impressed with the shot, Shastri

Marco Jansen to Samson, FOUR, shot! Fullish delivery angled across, Samson makes a bit of room and thumps it over extra cover. He gave himself the space to free his hands and middled the inside-out shot.

“Bang into the gap, four more. And when you see him batting like this, you sometimes think, why is he not in the side in the 1st place? Why is it? Why should it be an injury that brings him in,” Shastri said on air.

🚨 Ravi Shastri SLAMS Agarkar & Gambhir in commentary box for dropping Sanju Samson to push Gill as an all-format player.

🗣️ “When you see him playing shots like this, you wonder why he’s not in the side in the first place after 3 T20I hundreds?” pic.twitter.com/OhwN1cdQxZ

— Anurag™ (@Samsoncentral) December 19, 2025

“He’s just a natural for that position at the top of the order. Three hundreds already in T20 cricket, two against the South Africans, back-to-back the cause of shots like this. He is explosive and dangerous,” he added.

Later in the innings, Hardik Pandya smashed a 16-ball fifty — India’s second-fastest in T20Is — en route to a blistering 63, while Tilak Varma’s fluent 73 powered India to 232. The duo added 105 in just 44 balls, reviving momentum with fearless strokeplay against South Africa.