Sanju Samson was elevated as Team India’s opener in T20Is since the duo of Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav took charge last year. The wicketkeeper-batter had some great outings opening the innings
for India, including three hundreds in a calendar year. However, the Asia Cup squad saw the inclusion of Shubman Gill, who went on to replace Sanju and paired with his childhood friend, Abhishek Sharma. Although the latter stayed in the mix, he was shifted down in the batting order.
Coming to Australia, the order wasn’t changed as Gill and Abhishek opened the innings in the first T20I, which was eventually washed out. But ahead of the game, Sanju spoke to the broadcasters and opened up on the change in his batting position.
“To be honest, I have played a lot of different roles for a lot of different teams,” Sanju told broadcasters.
“I have been part of this team for a long time now and have done different roles. I have opened the batting. I have finished matches. Now, I am batting in the middle order. Only the openers are fixed in this team. The rest of the batters have to be ready to bat at any time and in any situation. We are well prepared for that,” he added.
On the slow and low pitches of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Sanju Samson initially struggled to find his rhythm. However, he played a crucial knock in the Asia Cup final against Pakistan, helping steady the innings when it mattered most.
Canberra T20 Washed Out
Suryakumar Yadav returned to form with a fluent 39* off 24 balls before rain washed out the first T20I against Australia in Canberra on Wednesday. Alongside Shubman Gill, who scored an unbeaten 37 off 20, the India captain added 62 runs for the second wicket, displaying controlled aggression and trademark flair.
Earlier, Abhishek Sharma (19) gave India a brisk start before falling to Nathan Ellis. India reached 78/1 in 9.4 overs before persistent showers forced abandonment.
