"What Wrong Has He Done?" Gautam Gambhir Asked To Reinstate Sanju Samson As Opener
As Shubman Gill continues to struggle as an opener in T20Is, calls for Sanju Samson's reinstatement at the top are intensifying.
The opening partnership of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma performed exceptionally well, with Samson notably scoring three centuries during the tour of South Africa. Despite this success, the team management opted to replace him with Shubman Gill as Abhishek Sharma's opening partner. This decision was an attempt to have the T20I vice-captain replicate his strong Indian Premier League (IPL) performances at the top of the batting order. The result of this change saw Samson initially being demoted to the middle order before being dropped from the playing XI entirely.
Baffled by India's insistent push to have Shubman Gill open alongside Abhishek Sharma, former cricketer Robin Uthappa publicly questioned the management on 'what exactly did Samson do wrong as an opener?'
Uthappa said as per an India Today report: "I beg the question: What did the partnership of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson do so grossly wrong that they had to be replaced? I understand Surya in the pre-series conference, where he said Shubman has actually been in the T20 squad before Sanju got his opportunity. But when Sanju did get his opportunity, he got three hundreds. He was the first guy among the youngsters here to get hundreds in T20 cricket. It was after that when Abhishek got it, and after that when Tilak actually got it. So he perhaps even inspired the guys and challenged them, because at that point, they were figuring out who was going to be the next opener for India in T20 cricket."
Shubman Gill seems to be considered Team India's long-term choice for the opening slot next to Abhishek, a view reinforced by his recent elevation to the format's vice-captaincy. However, Uthappa is advocating for a complete rethink, arguing that the partnership is currently not working for Shubman.
"So you have a proven opener, who's averaging just below Abhishek Sharma at this point, and you decided to move him to the middle order and then slowly leave him out. What wrong has he done? is my question. He deserves to have that opportunity," Uthappa added.
He then offered a critique of Gill's current approach, suggesting he is straying from his natural game. "It's not working for Shubman at this point, because I also think he's trying different things. I think he's trying initially to go toe-to-toe at the same pace that Abhishek is going - that is not how he bats. That is not how he's been successful in T20 cricket. How he has been successful is by taking that time, those first 10 balls, absorbing the pressure, getting in, and then once he reaches 15-20 balls, I don't think there is a batter like Shubman Gill until he gets himself out. That's the kind of batter he is. And I think that's what works for him in T20 cricket," Uthappa explained.
Samson's track record as a T20I opening batter is phenomenal. It is his demotion in the batting order that is thought to have contributed to his subsequent struggles. Despite his talent, Gill may also be feeling significant pressure to perform, especially with a prolific batter like Samson waiting for another opportunity to settle the opening pair debate.
The former India batter concluded: "I think he's trying different things, and it's not working for him, so obviously he must be feeling the heat as well, even though he's vice-captain. And then there are narratives around - and we were talking about Sanju now missing out, even though he has not done much wrong. I mean, he's the same guy who has got three hundreds in a year."
India Cricket Team
South Africa Cricket Team
Sanju Samson
Gautam Gambhir
Robin Uthappa