India Predicted XI For 3rd T20I Against South Africa: Ex-KKR Star Names Big Omission

Former India wicketkeeper Robin Uthappa has urged for the inclusion of Sanju Samson in India's XI for the 3rd T20I against South Africa, as well as for the remainder of the five-match series. Ever since Shubman Gill returned to the T20I side after a lengthy hiatus, Samson's batting order has become a huge topic of debate. During Gill's absence from the team, Samson formed a successful opening partnership with southpaw Abhishek Sharma. However, Gill's struggles at the top have ignited talks of Samson's inclusion as an opener. Uthappa, however, wants Samson to bat at No. 3 ahead of Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav. He also suggested that Gill should continue to open with Abhishek, who is currently the No. 1 T20I batter in ICC rankings. 

"I would like to see Shubman and Abhishek Sharma opening the batting. Complete left field here, Sanju Samson at No. 3, Suryakumar Yadav at No. 4 and Tilak Varma at No. 5, and then so on and so forth," Uthappa said on his YouTube channel. 

The 40-year-old wants the management to drop Jitesh Sharma from the XI, which will allow head coach Gautam Gambhir to play three all-rounders. 

"You still have Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube and Axar Patel. So your eight batters are sorted, and you have five bowlers. I would love to see that XI. I think that would be the ideal XI for India," the 2007 T20 World Cup winner added. 

Uthappa also addressed the concerns regarding Suryakumar's form, suggesting that the India captain should have a fixed slot at No. 4. 

"I definitely believe that, as far as Suryakumar Yadav is concerned, he needs to have a fixed slot. Whether No. 3 or No. 4, we know that in the IPL, he has scored a lot of runs at No. 4. Stick with him at No. 4," he said. 

"With Shubman Gill, I genuinely feel, for someone like him, he needs to bat in his own mold. He has got a method to score his runs. He has scored a lot of runs following his own method of scoring runs. He can try just getting in in the first few overs, and once he gets in, he ups the ante. After that, it's almost impossible to get him out," Uthappa pointed out.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team South Africa Cricket Team Sanju Samson Shubman Gill Suryakumar Yadav Robin Uthappa India vs South Africa 2025, India Cricket