"Should Be Left Alone": Ravi Shastri Tells Gambhir Over India Star Sacrificed For Shubman Gill

Only a day remains for the Asia Cup 2025 to start T20. There is enough intrigue surrounding India's playing XI. With Shubman Gill's entry into the squad and his ascension to vice-captaincy, it is almost a done deal that he will open the batting. Gill was one of the most successful Indian openers at IPL 2025. But Gill's entry also means that the set opening line-up of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson will cease to exist. Abhishek is the world No. 1 T20I batter, while Sanju Samson did well as a T20I opener in the last 12 months.

Former India coach Ravi Shastri believes Gill has to come into the XI but not at the cost of Samson. “He [Samson] is most dangerous in the top three. That's where he wins you matches. He should be left there. It [replacing Samson with Gill] won't be that easy. Samson has a strong record for India at the top in T20s. Even Gill will find it tough to displace him. Gill may come in for someone else, but Samson should be left alone as an opener,” Shastri said in an interaction with the media on Sunday.

“Given the conditions in Dubai and the heat, spin will definitely be the flavour of the month. Teams like Afghanistan might even play four spinners. Whether it's two or three (for India), it depends on balance, but spinners will certainly be in big demand in Dubai. You need both finger spin and wrist spin. India has that luxury, and they'll all come into play depending on conditions."

Even India great Sunil Gavaskar had something similar to say.

"If you take somebody like Sanju Samson in the core team, then you can't leave him out in the reserves," Gavaskar told a select group of mediapersons during an interaction ahead of the tournament starting September 9 in the UAE.

"Yes, I think it's a very good headache to have for any selection committee that you have two capable batters and somebody like Sanju Samson who can maybe even bat at three and, if needed, come down at six as a finisher.

"And Jitesh has also done well in the recently concluded IPL where he's played exceedingly well. So yes, I think it's a pleasant headache for the tour selection committee," he added.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Shubman Gill Sanju Samson Gautam Gambhir Suryakumar Yadav Ravi Shastri Asia Cup 2025 Cricket