Sanju Samson or Jitesh Sharma? This is the lingering question that India will look to find answers as they gear up for the final stretch of 10 T20Is ahead of the T20 World Cup beginning February 7. In what is otherwise a settled team, where anyone apart from the 15 picked for the series making the World Cup squad would come as a surprise, the only point of debate is around who among the two wicketkeepers would make the XI. It is a question that India would hope they find the answers soon and not leave it too far late, as depending on who gets the nod, the batting line-up would invariably go through a combination change.
Samson and Jitesh, vying for the wicketkeeper slot, might seem like a straightforward pick depending on form. But it is beyond that. Samson being a top-order batsman, offers totally a different dimension to this team. Since being a regular of this T20 outfit since July 2024, he has hit three centuries at the top and alongside Abhishek Sharma formed the most destructive opening combination at the top. Jitesh, older to Samson by a year, is a middle-order batsman who is known for his finishing skills, a role this team hasn’t assigned to anyone, but clearly understands the value of it.
While Samson seemed the first-choice wicketkeeper for the T20 World Cup, the inclusion of Shubman Gill from the Asia Cup onwards has changed the dynamics. Having started the Suryakumar-Gautam Gambhir tenure as an opener, he had made way for Samson, as India’s priority lay on Tests. After a season-best IPL, Gill duly took the spot at the top with his childhood friend Abhishek, with Samson moved to the middle-order in the UAE and Australia before losing the spot to Jitesh by the end of the tour.
For a team that has gone about handing role clarity in the most commendable ways in T20s, the message to Samson seems clear too. That he would have to bat in the middle-order. “In terms of Sanju, yes, when he came into the circuit, he batted higher in the order. Other than the openers, I feel everyone has to be very flexible. He did really well when he opened the innings. But Shubman had played before him in the Sri Lanka series. So, he deserved to take that spot,” Suryakumar said.
Dwelling further, Suryakumar explained: “We gave Sanju opportunities. He was ready to bat at any number. Which is actually good to see a player being very flexible batting from 3 to 6 anywhere. So, both (Samson and Jitesh) are in the scheme of things. One can open, one can bat lower on the order. Both can do all the roles. So, it is an asset to our team and also a good headache to have.”
With Abhishek and Gill locked for the top-order, when and where India give opportunity to Samson to bat in the middle-order remains to be seen. In the Asia Cup held in the UAE, where it was hard to judge the performance of batsmen in the middle-order on two-paced surfaces, Samson clearly struggled for tempo. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s last week, Samson batted at the top for Kerala, when he could have tested himself in the middle-order and thus denying the Indian team management any clues about his capabilities down the order.
With Jitesh, there is no such confusion. Having played a key role in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s title triumph, Jitesh is a proven material when it comes to batting in the middle-order. At the net session on the eve of the match here in Cuttack, both Samson and Jitesh had an extensive net session, first in the nets near the boundary ropes and then in the practice pitch adjacent to the strip to be used for the game. Both looked in good nick, sending the ball long into the stands occupied by thousands of fans.
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Having embraced a flexible batting line-up, with left-right combination being preferred, India want a fluid batting order, where entry points will be decided by match-ups. In that regard, Samson and Jitesh offer varying strengths with the former being one of the exceptional hitters of spinners. Jitesh isn’t different, and brings in the sweeps, reverse-sweeps and the ramps into play which opens up vast spaces in the field.
The last time India played South Africa last year, Samson had made two statement-making centuries that clearly defined the kind of cricket this team wanted to play. This series could well define who is higher in the pecking order.