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Asia Cup 2025: BCCI had announced India's Asia Cup squad last week, and it looks like a formidable side. The Indian teams are the reigning champions and are considered the favourites to lift the title. The team has covered all the bases except one.

Speculations are rife that Abhishek Sharma would be opening the innings with Shubman Gill, and that has left the position of a wicket-keeper batter and the no.6 batter vacant. There are high chances that star all-rounder Hardik Pandya would be coming into bat at the No.5 position, and Axar Patel would be used as a floater, and thus the No.6 position would be left vacant.

There are three players who are in contention for this role- Sanju Samson, Rinku Singh, and Jitesh Sharma.

Also Read: Harshit Rana Gears Up For Asia Cup 2025, Says, 'Not All That I Have Become.....'

Samson vs Jitesh vs Rinku: The ideal candidate for the No.6 spot

A no.6 batter plays quite an important role in this format, as the batter in this position is supposed to be a brilliant finisher and should anchor the innings and ensure that the team posts a respectable total or takes the team across the line while chasing.

Criterion Sanju Samson Rinku Singh Jitesh Sharma
Matches 6 24 16
Runs 80 423 405
Average 20.00 24.88 31.15
Strike rate

 102.56 137.79 168.75

If one looks at the IPL records of these batters batting at the No.6 position, there is only one player who stands out. Samson usually opens during the IPL and has had a hard time batting at the No.6 position. He has batted at a strike rate of 102 and has failed to finish games for the team.

Jitesh Sharma has performed brilliantly at the No.6 position, and so has Rinku Singh. Both of them play as finishers and are quite visible in their stats as well. Jitsesh's strike rate in IPL was 168.75, whereas Rinku's strike rate was 137. Jitesh had performed brilliantly at No.6 position for the Bengaluru-based franchise and does have an upper edge over Rinku and Samson.

Also Read: From Rohit Sharma To Shahid Afridi, Taking A Look At Top Five Players With Most Asia Cup Appearances

Why Samson-Jitesh could be the only two choices

Since Abhishek, Gill, Tilak, Suryakumar, and Hardik would constitute the top five batters, the team will need a keeper-batter, and that's why the team management will have to drop Rinku Singh. The fight will be between Samson and Jitesh, and everyone knows who will have the upper edge.

What are the qualities that the team management needs from a No.6 batter? A No.6 batter should have a strike rate and match-finishing abilities. Jitesh Sharma will pip Sanju Samson in all departments. He boasts of a brilliant strike rate, as was evident during the IPL 2025, as he has the ability to finish matches as well.

Conclusion

Rinku Singh might have been the second-highest run-getter amongst the three candidates, but there are high chances that the team management might drop them since he doesn't have wicket-keeping skills and the team needs a keeper. A No.6 batter should be a finisher, and Jitesh Sharma has done that brilliantly for IPL teams like PBKS and RCB.

And that's why Jitesh Sharma should come into bat at the No.6 position, as Samson might not feature in a single match during the upcoming tournament and will make it to the playing XI if a player gets injured.