Sanju Samson breathes huge sigh of relief after rare prophecy comes true in India vs UAE Asia Cup match: 'Why would...?'

Ever since Gill was named the vice-captain for the Asia Cup, it was a given that he would open the batting alongside Abhishek. The 25-year-old's inclusion in the squad made the road tricky for Samson, despite the Kerala batter's marvellous run in T20Is of late.

In 2024, Samson hit three T20I centuries (one against Bangladesh and two against South Africa) as he made the opening slot his own, forming a formidable partnership with Abhishek. In the lead-up to the Asia Cup, Samson was seen having sporadic net sessions as he didn't bat much. He only got the chance to have a hit after all the frontline batters did their sessions, and this was the first major hint towards Jitesh pipping Samson.

Also Read: IND vs UAE LIVE Score, Asia Cup 2nd T20I: Sanju Samson, Kuldeep Yadav make the cut as Suryakumar Yadav opts to bowl

During the captain's press conference, even India captain Suryakumar Yadav was asked whether Samson would make the playing XI. The skipper refused to give a definitive answer, saying the management will take “good care”.

However, head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar have opted to stick with continuity. It would be interesting to see how Samson performs in the middle order.

Why fix something that isn't broke?

Before the start of the Asia Cup 2025 match against the UAE, former India batter Robin Uthappa had said that Samson would indeed be in the playing XI and would slot in at No.3.

Uthappa's prediction came true as Samson indeed kept his place in the lineup.

“I think he'll be at No.3. He will keep. One thing that we know Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav have done since they have taken over the T20I side, they have used the left-right combination quite heavily,” said Uthappa on Sony Sports.

“Both captain and coach have stated there is no fixed batting order in the shortest format. It's very similar to how Gauti led KKR. Why would you move away from something that has worked in the past?” he added.

In the playing XI, Shivam Dube got the nod ahead of Rinku Singh. Jasprit Bumrah is playing as the lone frontline pacer, and he will get support from Hardik. Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy and Axar Patel are the three spinners.

India captain Suryakumar Yadav opted to bowl after winning the toss against the UAE.

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