The Asia Cup is around the corner, while Team India is gearing up to defend their title. At the same time, the debate is heating up over the choice of wicketkeeper-batter for the upcoming continental championship.
The selectors have named Sanju Samson and Jitesh Kumar in the squad, but the other names in the team seem to have led to a selection conundrum.
Sanju, who rediscovered his mojo in the T20Is last year with three hundreds in a calendar year, was the preferred opener in the shortest format, pairing up with Abhishek Sharma at the top of the order. But going into the Asia Cup, Sanju might lose his spot to Shubman Gill, the vice-captain for the tournament.
If Sanju has a commendable record as an opener, he has had little exposure as a middle-order batter and has had minimal success. On the other hand, Jitesh is a proven middle-order striker, often deemed as a finisher.
Former India opener Aakash Chopra has backed wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma to feature in the side’s playing eleven in the upcoming Asia Cup, citing his improved numbers and high strike rate.
Jitesh, who’s played nine T20Is for India so far, was one of the vital cogs in Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) winning IPL 2025 by scoring 261 runs at a blistering strike-rate of 176 as their designated finisher. Those performances helped him get back into India’s T20I squad for the Asia Cup, set to happen in the UAE from September 9-28.
“I feel Jitesh Sharma will play in the eleven in the Asia Cup. We shouldn’t think too much about positions first to third because he won’t get a chance there. However, his numbers at numbers four to seven have become a lot better.
“He has a strike rate of 166 and an average of 28. He is the first batter whose strike rate is above 150. So when the pecking order is prepared, he will go right at the top. Jitesh Sharma’s numbers have looked the best amongst everyone else. He is shining bright and seems to be at the top. I really hope he has a good Asia Cup,” said Chopra on his YouTube channel on Monday.
With Jitesh coming in and Shubman Gill being made T20I vice-captain, Sanju Samson’s position in the starting eleven is uncertain, and Chopra felt his numbers go down as the batting order number progresses.
“Sanju Samson is the first contender because he played the last series. He has struck three centuries in the last 12 matches. He is also part of the team at the moment.”
“So, of course, he will be the first guy to talk about. If we look at his numbers in one to three in all T20s, he has scored more than 6000 runs at a strike rate of 140 and an average of 33, which are really good numbers. So Sanju Samson is a real contender if you want a keeper in the top three.
“But when I look at his numbers from numbers four to seven, he has played 98 matches with an average of 20 and a strike rate of 126. Neither the strike rate nor the average looks very good there. You would keep Sanju as a frontrunner at the top, but suddenly, when you change his batting number, he goes down in the list,” he added.
(With Agency Inputs)
