Ex-India skipper Srikkanth says Samson needs to convert starts as 'people forget 30s and 40s'
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Ex-India skipper Srikkanth says Samson needs to convert starts as 'people forget 30s and 40s'")
Ex-IND skipper says Samson needs to convert starts as 'people forget 30s & 40s' Photograph: (BCCI)
Samson was picked ahead of vice-captain Shubman Gill who has been dropped from India's T20 World Cup 2026 squad altogether. Samson had played in the last T20I of five-match series against South Africa at home and scored a quickfire 37 before getting out.
Former India skipper Kris Srikkanth has an advice for wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson as India gear up for defence of T20 World Cup title early next year. Samson was picked ahead of vice-captain Shubman Gill who has been dropped from the squad altogether. Samson had played in the last T20I of five-match series against South Africa at home and scored a quickfire 37 before getting out. Srikkanth says that Samson has to convert those starts to make sure he isn't dropped from the playing XI anymore.
Srikkanth's advice for Samson
“He batted really well. What an innings it was. Some of the strokes he played were brilliant. When he is striking, he is striking deadly. Only thing I will tell Sanju is, don’t get out on 37. Convert that 37 into 73. If you do that, you can’t be removed. People forget 30s and 40s,” remarked Srikkanth, as reported by the Indian Express, after India's win against South Africa in Ahmedabad.
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“Sanju Samson got one chance and he grabbed it in yesterday’s match. I think they might have told him [Gill] yesterday that you don’t play. Maybe that’s why he was declared unfit. They might have told him that he’s not in the team.”
Why was Gill dropped?
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Earlier this year, Gill was named India's Test and ODI skipper as well as being named Suryakumar Yadav's deputy in the T20Is as well. He played 15 matches since the appointment, replacing Samson as Abhishek Sharma's opening partner but returned modest numbers - scoring only one half-century in 15 innings.
While he was clearly out of form, BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar insisted that it is team combination because of which Gill has been dropped as the management wanted a keeper to open. India have also handed a call back to Ishan Kishan in the T20I squad after his stunning campaign in domestic Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) for Jharkhand.
