Sanju Samson has enjoyed familiarity in the UAE amid the Asia Cup 2025. 'Sanju, Sanju' chants have reverberated across Dubai and Abu Dhabi, which boasts
a high number of Malayali migrant workers.
Samson, who was poised to be left out of the side, has so far played all the matches in the tournament. Although Sanju got to bat in two matches, the India star hasn't had the most fluent outing so far.
Coming in to bat at No. 3 after an early wicket, Samson scored 56 runs off 45 balls with a strike rate of over 124, including three fours and three sixes, helping India post a total of 188/8. This innings was his first time batting in the tournament after not being required in earlier matches against UAE and Pakistan. His knock also marked a personal milestone, reaching his 50th six in T20 Internationals.
Against Pakistan, Sanju was slotted at no. 5, the position curated for him in this Asia Cup. The Kerala player had a torrid outing though, as it could only score 13 runs off 17 deliveries, before getting castled by Haris Rauf. Although Samson hasn't batted in the middle order in T20 matchesfor ages, the team management pins hopes on Sanju to find his own solution.
"Yeah, I think there's two outings now, two decent chances and he's still figuring out how to play that role. I think the wicket was a little bit tighter in the Pakistan game," assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said on Tuesday.
With Suryakumar Yadav adopting no. 3 position and Tilak Varma at no. 4, Sanju will have to adapt to the middle-order, which hasn't been his forte. Even in the recent Kerala Cricket League, Sanju played as an opener in all but one match.
But Doeschate stresses the importance of finding a no. 5 and believes Samson is the right player in that position.
"So we believe Sanju is the best man for that job and we've got no doubt that he'll figure out how to play that role in the future," he added.
The Dutch coach also mentioned that team India was not entirely happy with their performance against Pakistan. The catching was in disarray against Pakistan as the Indian boys dropped four. Moreover, the batting in the middle-order stuttered a bit, and Suryakumar Yadav and his troops are desperate to rectify their small issues.
India will take on Bangladesh in their next Super Four match on Wednesday (September 24), and a win would ensure their place in the Final.
