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Kris Srikkanth has urged Sanju Samson to convert his starts to big scores to maintain his spot. (CREIMAS)
After making the cut for his first ICC T20 World Cup as India’s first-choice wicket-keeper, Sanju Samson has received an advice from former India chairman of selectors, Krishnamachari Srikkanth, over the constant uncertainy over his spot in the squad.
After missing out on seven successive games that India had played since the Australia tour, Samson made his opportunity count in Ahmedabad on Friday, a day before India unveiled their T20 World Cup 2026 15-member squad. The national selectors pulled off a surprise by omitting vice-captain Shubman Gill, who had replaced Samson as Abhishek Sharma’s opening partner in September 2025.
Gill, however, endured a tepid run of form across 15 innings, failing to notch up a half-century. In the South Africa series, he totalled only 32 runs in three innings before a toe injury ruled him out of the last two games before subsequently being dropped from India’s World Cup squad for the second successive edition. Srikkanth, however, had a word of caution for Samson, who struck a quickfire 37 in India’s fifth T20I win in Ahmedabad last Friday.
“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.
“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.”
Srikkanth insisted that India could be a deadly batting unit at the World Cup, provided captain Suryakumar Yadav also regains his mojo.
“He [Pandya] was batting like ‘Mission Impossible’. It was just outstanding to watch him bat. If you look at the top five, if Suryakumar Yadav hits form, this batting line-up will destroy opponents. It is an intimidating and devastating batting line-up,” the former India captain added.
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