Sanju Samson has failed miserably in England T20Is [Source: AP]
India's explosive keeper-batter Sanju Samson had a forgettable outing in the fourth T20I against England, as he was dismissed for a solitary run. Opening the batting for India, Samson could score only a run before Saqib Mahmood sent him packing.
This was Samson's fourth consecutive failure in the T20I series against England. The Kerala batter, who contributed 26 runs to the tally in the first game, has managed only 35 runs across four innings in the high-voltage series.
While Samson's struggle against high-pace body-line bowling has been evident, his inconsistency has raised question marks over his place in the T20I team. In such a scenario, there are three players who might earn a recall if Samson's modest returns force India to look beyond him in T20Is.
1. Ruturaj Gaikwad
- Ruturaj Gaikwad is a flamboyant opening batter who leads Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League. Regarded for his scintillating stroke play, Gaikwad has amassed 633 runs in 20 T20I innings at an average of 39.6 and a strike rate of 143.5.
- In fact, Gaikwad was India's most consistent performer in the T20I series against Australia and Zimbabwe, scoring 356 runs at a superb average of 59.33 before the selectors ignored him for the South Africa series.
- Therefore, if Samson doesn't regain his mojo and Gaikwad has a breakthrough IPL 2025 season, India might give the latter a well-deserved recall into the T20I setup.
2. Ishan Kishan
- Apart from opening the batting, Sanju Samson keeps the wickets for India in T20 Internationals. Therefore, if he gets sidelined, India might consider replacing him with another keeper-batter at the top order.
- In such a scenario, Ishan Kishan seems to be the frontrunner in making his comeback into the T20I team. The swashbuckling southpaw is hailed as one of the finest T20 prospects, having struck 4916 runs at an average of 28.41 and a strike rate of 133.11.
- Furthermore, Ishan looked sublime in his previous T20I appearance, amassing 110 runs, including two half-centuries, at a strike rate of 144.74. Thus, if India decide to move on from Samson, Ishan could get a recall into the T20I side.
3. Shubman Gill
- Shubman Gill is one of India's first-choice top-order batters in ODIs and Tests. However, the stylish batter from Punjab hasn't cemented his place in the T20I team.
- Gill has had a topsy-turvy T20I career, scoring 578 runs at an average of 30.4 and a strike rate of 139.3. The fact that he has registered only four 50-plus scores in 21 innings definitely signifies his inconsistency in the format.
- Having said that, Gill still has the age on his side to improve his record in T20Is. The upcoming IPL season holds significant importance for the Gujarat Titans captain. Who knows if a stellar IPL tournament will lead to his surprising comeback into India's T20I team?