Sanju Samson in KCL (Source: @CricCrazyJohns/X.com)
India's Asia Cup 2025 squad was announced on August 19, and Sanju Samson, as expected, is part of it. However, the inclusion of Shubman Gill has created a tricky position for Samson, and he might have to bat at number 3 or lower middle order and sacrifice his opening position.
Samson Fails For Kochi Blue Tigers
Now, Sanju Samson in the KCL match between Kochi Blue Tigers and Alleppey Ripples has given more fuel to those speculations by batting at number six. It seems like he is preparing himself for the lower middle order role ahead of the Asia Cup. However, it did not go in his favour, and the charismatic right-handed batter could score just 13 runs off 22 balls.
It was the kind of knock that one does not associate with Sanju Samson. He has been a free-flowing player all throughout his career, and though he might fail sometimes, his strike-rate has always been pretty good. Thus, his struggle in a state league can be a dangerous sign ahead of the Asia Cup, and he might not even feature in the XI.
Samson's Struggle Puts His Playing XI Spot In Asia Cup In Jeopardy
Talking about his knock in the KCL game against Alleppey Ripples, Sanju Samson came out to bat with his team four down at a score of 108. The run-rate was pretty good at the time he came out to bat, but Sanju Samson struggled big time. He could not score a single boundary in his stay of 22 balls and eventually departed in the 17th over with a strike-rate of less than 60.
This knock is likely to hurt Sanju Samson's chances even more in the Asia Cup, and the batter clearly doesn't look comfortable in the lower middle order. He scored three hundreds for India as an opener in T20Is, but the team composition for the Asia Cup has put him in a tricky position.
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