• Source:JND
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Asia Cup 2025: The Indian cricket fans were stunned when the BCCI shared a cryptic video of Sanju Samson sitting on a chair, just a few hours before their last training session against the United Arab Emirates during their tournament opener. The video has resulted in speculation about Sanju's position in India's playing XI, with Gill returning to the T20I side as the vice-captain of the team. Gill, who has performed consistently as an opener during IPL, is most likely going to reclaim his position, and that would mean that Samson would be promoted down the order.

The Suryakumar Yadav-led side, who are the reigning champions, will aim to begin their campaign on a high, and all eyes will be on the playing XI in their first match. Samson's position had become debatable, owing to the way that he had performed under Gautam Gambhir's guidance, where he had scored 400 runs after playing in 14 T20Is. His brilliant batting prowess had helped him become a top-order batter.

Here are some of the reactions:

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Sunil Gavaskar, too, had reckoned that if the team management dropped Samson, then they would be committing a huge mistake. Gavaskar said that Samson should bat at no.3 or lower position and that he should play as a wicketkeeper instead of Jitesh Sharma.

His performance in domestic and franchise cricket has only proven Gavaskar right. After playing in 134 innings at the no.3 position, he had scored 4136 runs at a staggering average of 35 and a brilliant strike rate of 137, which also includes 31 half-centuries and 5 hundreds. His brilliant stroke play had helped him become a perfect candidate for any batting position.

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Since the Men in Blue's schedule till the 2026 T20 World Cup, the ongoing continental tournament will give enough chances to test their playing XI. Samson will have a point to prove that he always belongs in India's playing XI and will help the team defend their title.