Will Sanju Samson make his comeback in the playing XI for the first T20I against South Africa? The chances of Samson being included in the final XI are bleak, as Suryakumar Yadav confirmed India’s opening pair for the series opener. Samson was expected to get a chance as an opener. But Shubman Gill is now fit and he is set to open the innings with Abhishek Sharma, the captain confirmed on the eve of the game.
“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. But Shubman had played before him in the Sri Lanka series. So, he deserved to take that spot,” Suryakumar said.
“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.”
Samson opened the innings in the absence of Gill. He moved back to the middle order in the Asia Cup and in the Australia series. Samson lost his place to Jitesh Sharma during the Australia tour.
Also Read: Shubman Gill In; No Sanju Samson; Arshdeep Singh Out! India’s Likely XI In 1st T20I VS South Africa
Jitesh is ahead of Samson in the pecking order and looks set to keep the wickets against SA, which means no place for Samson in the playing XI.
Hardik Pandya set to return
Apart from Gill, Hardik Pandya is also set to make his return to international cricket. The star all-rounder suffered an injury during the Asia Cup and missed the white-ball series against Australia.
Pandya proved his fitness in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He replaced Nitish Kumar Reddy in the squad. The first T20I is scheduled to be played on Tuesday (December 9) in Cuttack.
