India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav has revealed that while the common idea was that Jitesh Sharma would start ahead of Sanju Samson since Shubman Gill was to open, head coach Gautam Gambhir had made
it clear that Samson would feature in the XI no matter at which number.
After anchoring India’s middle order in the Asia Cup victory over arch-rivals Pakistan, Samson has cemented his spot in that role.
After a stellar year as India’s opener, scoring three centuries, he took some time to adjust to his new role in the middle order.
“With the addition of Shubman Gill and Jitesh Sharma in the squad, everyone thought Jitesh would start over Sanju Samson. But Gauti bhai was clear from day one that Sanju should play, no matter which batting position he is in,” Suryakumar said while speaking on Vimal Kumar’s podcast.
At the CEAT Cricket Ratings Awards in Mumbai this week, Samson said that representing India comes first, permitting him to make personal sacrifices to stay at the international level.
“When you wear that Indian jersey, you cannot say no to anything. I have really worked very hard to wear that jersey and more importantly, to stay in their dressing room,” Samson said.
VIDEO | Mumbai, Maharashtra: Wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson, speaking at the CEAT Cricket Rating Awards 2025, says, “When you wear the Indian jersey, you can’t say no to anything. I’ve worked really hard to earn it, and I take great pride in doing my job for the country. Even… pic.twitter.com/SEUN4e1MeH
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 7, 2025
“I take a lot of pride in doing a job for my country. So even if they want to bat me at number 9, maybe bowl some left arm spin, I think I am happy to do that as well. So whatever job for the country, I think I do not mind,” Samson said.
