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"Ready to be joker": Sanju Samson compares self to Mohanlal amid batting shuffle

Akshita Patel

Sanju Samson has compares himself to actor Mohanlal [Source: @SanjuSamsonFP, @SonySportsNetwk/X.com]Sanju Samson has compares himself to actor Mohanlal [Source: @SanjuSamsonFP, @SonySportsNetwk/X.com]

Kerala cricketer and India star Sanju Samson has compared himself to legendary actor Mohanlal while decoding his shuffle in batting order. Samson said that he needs to be versatile with his batting, just like Mohanlal, who plays different types of roles on camera.

Samson, who hit 3 centuries as an opener in 2024, has been pushed down to no.5 in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025. He has had limited opportunities to play, which has raised doubts over his future with India’s T20I squad.

Sanju Samson calls himself ‘Mohanlal’

The Kerala batter has faced constant changes in his batting position. Last year, he scored three centuries in five matches, but after Shubman Gill’s return, Sanju Samson lost his opening spot.

He batted at number three against Oman, scoring a half-century, and was sent to number five against Pakistan, where he managed only 13 runs in 17 balls. Moreover, against Bangladesh, Sanju was pushed to no.8 and didn’t get a chance to bat.

Addressing the debate while talking to Sony Sports, Samson drew a comparison with legendary actor Mohanlal, who received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award recently. He said being versatile is important, and he is ready to be the villain or joker for the team.

“See, there’s our actor, Mohanlal, who got a big award from the Indian government. He has been an actor for 20 years. I have been playing for India for 10 years. So, I can’t come in and say I want to do the ‘hero’ role every time. I can do the villain role, and I can also do the Joker role for my country," Samson said.

While Sanju Samson is taking the changes sportingly, his fans are not happy with the ongoing situation. After he was pushed to no.8 against Bangladesh, fans criticised head coach Gautam Gambhir for taking Sanju for granted.

India, who started with a 72-run powerplay thanks to Abhishek Sharma’s fireworks, succumbed to 168/6 at the end of the first inning. The collapse was linked to experiments with the batting order, which fans didn’t appreciate that too in an Asia Cup 2025 Super Four game.

India storm into the Asia Cup 2025 final

Despite the scare, Indian bowlers managed to bowl out Bangladesh for 127 in the second inning to seal a 41-run comfortable victory. With that, the men in blue have stormed into the final of the Asia Cup 2025, where they’ll meet either Bangladesh, Sri Lanka or Pakistan on September 28 at Dubai International Stadium.