- By Namrata Vijay
- Thu, 30 Oct 2025 03:32 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
IND vs AUS 1st T20I: Weeks after Gautam Gambhir warned him against targeting players or questioning selection, former India captain Kris Srikkanth returned with biting sarcasm to fiercely defend Sanju Samson. Despite Samson’s explosive performances and key contributions in T20Is, uncertainty around his role in the lineup has left Srikkanth frustrated, prompting him to call out Gambhir’s unfair treatment of the wicketkeeper-batter.
From July 2024 until the start of the Asia Cup last month, Samson proved his mettle as a T20I opener, which included three centuries. Yet, during the continental tournament in the UAE, he was removed as the opener to make way for returning Shubman Gill in the line-up, while the Kerala star got no fixed role in the middle-order. He batted at No. 5 in three of the matches, and in another, he did not bat despite India going six down.
A frustrated Srikkanth said Samson is “the most unlucky,” constantly pushed around the batting order from No. 3 to No. 8, with no option but to stay quiet.
“The most unlucky guy is Sanju Samson. He was scoring centuries as an opener. But now they send him everywhere — from No. 3 to No. 8. If given an opportunity, they may send him at No. 11 also! A person like Sanju will naturally feel bad after doing so well at the top, but he has no option but to be tight-lipped and bat wherever the team asks him to," Srikkanth said in his YouTube channel.
Srikkanth is, however, relieved, saying the silver lining was Samson’s performance at No. 5 in the Asia Cup. He reckoned it was a positive sign as he’s now the automatic first-choice wicketkeeper for the T20 World Cup.
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“The only good thing is he did well at No. 5 in the Asia Cup. It’s a good sign because Sanju is now the automatic choice as the first wicketkeeper for the T20 World Cup,” he said.