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"Last Chance": Srikkanth Says Shreyas Iyer Waiting In The Wings To Replace Sanju Samson

Akshita Patel

Srikkanth analysis Sanju Samson-Shreyas Iyer's dilemma [Source: @iamajayjangirr, @CricCrazyJohns/X.com]Srikkanth analysis Sanju Samson-Shreyas Iyer's dilemma [Source: @iamajayjangirr, @CricCrazyJohns/X.com]

Former India opener and ex-chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth has stirred up a big debate by claiming that Sanju Samson’s demotion to no.5 in the batting order is a sign of Shreyas Iyer’s potential comeback.

Samson, who has looked most comfortable as an opener, has scored 522 runs from 11 innings at an average of 32.63 in that role, including three centuries.

But when pushed down the order to number 5, his numbers have dipped drastically, only 62 runs at an average of 20.62. For this Asia Cup 2025, Samson is expected to bat at no.5 as Shubman Gill has replaced him as opener.

K Srikkanth Issues Final Warning To Sanju Samson

In his latest YouTube video, former cricketer K Srikkanth has claimed that Sanju Samson’s no.5 demotion is a bad omen. He warned the Keralite to score runs in the Asia Cup, or else Shreyas Iyer is waiting in the wings to replace him.

“I somehow feel by making Sanju bat at 5, they are making way for Shreyas Iyer to return to the side. Sanju hasn’t batted much at 5 and he shouldn’t bat at that position either. It will dent his confidence batting at No. 5. I am not too happy for him. To Sanju, I would warn him by saying that this is his last chance. I would also tell him if he fails to score in the next or three innings at this position, Shreyas Iyer will replace him,” Srikkanth said.

Srikkanth didn’t stop there. He also raised questions about India’s strategy of using Samson in the middle order.

“They are playing Sanju Samson in the middle-order. Are they going to use him as the finisher? No. That’ll be Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube. So, Samson will play at 5. Will he deliver? That’s a question mark. You’ve accommodated Sanju Samson ahead of Jitesh Sharma. It is fine for this Asia Cup but what will happen in the T20 World Cup?" he added.

Notably, Iyer was snubbed from the Asia Cup 2025 squad, citing combination and balance issues despite the batter piling up runs in domestic cricket and IPL. While this move was criticised by many, Srikkanth’s perspective adds a new dimension to this controversy.

Srikkanth Doubtful Of India’s Success At 2026 T20 World Cup

With India co-hosting the 2026 T20 World Cup with Sri Lanka in just six months, Srikkanth believes the current experiments could backfire. He questioned the removal of Axar Patel from the vice-captaincy and the selections of Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, and Harshit Rana.

"We might win the Asia Cup with this team, but there is no chance of winning the T20 World Cup with this bunch. They have gone backwards. Axar Patel has been axed from vice-captaincy. I don’t know how Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, and Harshit Rana have come in. IPL is considered the main criterion for selection, but the selectors seem to have considered performances before that."

According to him, the IPL was supposed to be the main benchmark for selection, but it seems other factors influenced the decisions.