Shubman Gill And...? 3 Players Sanju Samson Can Replace In India's Test Squad

Sanju Samson scored a century in Duleep Trophy 2024 (X.com)Sanju Samson scored a century in Duleep Trophy 2024 (X.com)

The Indian senior side is currently playing a Test match against Bangladesh in Chennai and in the background of it, the third round of Duleep Trophy is also going on. Ravi Ashwin grabbed plenty of headlines on the opening day of the Test match but at the start of Day 2, his Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson also made sure that he grabs some headlines. 

The reason for it being his 11th first-class century while playing for India D against India B, and with this special knock, the debate around Sanju Samson's selection in Indian whites has again resurfaced. India's frontline batters failed miserably on the opening day at Chepauk apart from Yashasvi Jaiswal, and it was only because of the efforts from all-rounders, Ravi Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja that India managed to get to a strong total.

So, let's now try to analyze who could be the three players Sanju Samson can replace in the current Indian Test squad.

KL Rahul

KL Rahul is a quality batter, but he has not been able to deliver with consistency in Test cricket. He averages just 34.04 in the 50 Test matches he has played so far, and his latest failure against Bangladesh where he scored just 16, has once again put his place in the Test team under scanner.

Also, KL Rahul has the tendency of getting stuck in the middle which can be counter-productive in tricky batting conditions where surviving gets difficult. Sanju Samson, on the other hand, is a busy player and score runs quickly and just like Rishabh Pant, has the ability to take the pitch out of the equation with his strokeplay. He displayed that during his ton for India D, and also in the previous encounter, he displayed positive intent during his knock of 40. He is a man in form as well and could be a welcome addition into the Indian squad.

Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill fell for a 8-ball duck in the first innings of the opening Test against Bangladesh. He is a highly rated batter, but in Test cricket, his returns have been mediocre so far and lot of questions have been raised on his technique in red-ball cricket. He averages 35.52 from 25 Test matches and being a number 3 batter in Test cricket, his numbers are quite underwhelming.

It is hard to see him getting dropped anytime soon though, but if he does get dropped in future, Sanju Samson can chip in. Samson has the experience of batting in top order in white-ball cricket and has good technique against spin and pace. Gill, on the other hand has shown vulnerability against an in-coming ball and also against spinners, so if selectors do decide to take a bold decision, Samson is a good option.

Dhruv Jurel

The young wicketkeeper batter displayed great temperament and skills in his opening Test series and is surely the one for the future. However, it remains to be seen how he goes about his business outside India. Also, Dhruv Jurel was not at his best in the Duleep Trophy game too, and bagged a golden duck after scoring two in the first innings.

Sanju Samson, on the other hand, has shown good form in recent times across formats. He did not score a run in the two T20I innings against Sri Lanka, but other than he has been fantastic, and now the century in the Duleep Trophy game has again made him a strong contender for a second wicketkeeper's spot. Also, Sanju is known to have a good backfoot technique which keeping in mind the Australian series coming up, makes his case even stronger.