• Home
  • Who Said What
  • Suryakumar Confirms Shubman Gill To Open With Abhishek Samsons Place Unsure

Suryakumar confirms Shubman Gill to open with Abhishek; Samson's place unsure

Anurag Dasgupta

Shubman Gill set to open; Samson's place in jeopardy [Source: AFP Photo] Shubman Gill set to open; Samson's place in jeopardy [Source: AFP Photo]

After conquering South Africa in the ODIs, the stage is set for the all-important T20I matches as the two teams lock horns in the battle of supremacy. The upcoming matches provide a great chance for the two sides to test their playing combination before the T20 World Cup, and Team India will also aim to try out different combinations.

One of India’s major issues has been the opening conundrum, with Shubman Gill and Sanju Samson fighting for the spot. Samson was India’s designated opener before the Asia Cup 2025 event, and ever since Gill was named the vice-captain, Samson has been demoted in the middle-order, with the Indian side preferring Gill alongside Abhishek.

SKY confirms Gill to open with Abhishek

Ahead of the first T20I in Cuttack, captain Suryakumar Yadav attended the pre-game conference and gave a final verdict that India will persist with Gill and Samson is ready to bat at any spot as he believes other than openers, everyone else has to be flexible.

“In terms of Sanju, yes, when he came into the circuit, he batted higher up the order. Now the thing is, other than the openers, I feel everyone has to be very flexible. He did really well before he played, when he opened the innings,” Surya said. “But Shubman had played before him in the Sri Lanka series. So, he deserved to take that spot. We gave Sanju opportunities. He was ready to bat at any number, which actually is good to see any player being very flexible, batting from 3 to 6 anywhere. So, that is one thing which I have told all the batters.


“Other than openers, everyone has to be very flexible. So, both (Sanju and Jitesh) are in the scheme of things. It is always good to have flexible players like both of them being part of that squad. One can open, one can bat lower down the order. Both can do all the loads. So, it is an asset to our team and also a good headache to have."

Injustice with Samson after his stellar opening numbers?

In his career, Samson has played in multiple positions in T20I cricket, but his best was brought out when the Kerala batter was asked to open the batting. Alongside Abhishek, he forged an attacking partnership and in 17 matches while opening, he amassed 522 runs, with a strike rate of 178, including three centuries.

Not only in India, but he also scored runs in South African conditions. With Gill coming back in the T20I setup, Samson was dropped down in the batting order and was eventually dropped as Jitesh Sharma was given the keeper’s spot.