Sanju Samson gets a new batting spot in India's Asia Cup XI, Gautam Gambhir told to show the exit to Tilak Varma

Former India batter Mohammad Kaif believes Sanju Samson deserves to play at No.3 ahead of Tilak Varma in the upcoming Asia Cup 2025. India will begin their campaign on September 10 against the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the Suryakumar Yadav-led side has a lot of decisions to ponder over. With Shubman Gill making the squad as the vice-captain, it is all but confirmed that the 25-year-old would be opening the batting alongside Abhishek Sharma. Tilak Varma and Sanju Samson both have been in fine form in T20Is for India. (AFP)

This leaves the fate of Samson in the balance. Over the course of the last year, the right-hander has been opening the batting alongside Abhishek. The 30-year-old smashed three T20I centuries last year - one against Bangladesh and two against South Africa.

Samson has also been in fine touch in the Kerala Cricket League. In the T20 competition, the batter started off batting lower down the order. However, after two games where he failed to get going, Samson returned as an opener, and the runs started to flow.

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However, dropping Tilak won't be that easy, as the left-handed youngster has also been in fine touch, making the most of his chances at No.3 for India in T20Is. Even Tilak smashed back-to-back centuries against South Africa last year, and there is a solid headache for selection for the management ahead of the Asia Cup.

“Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill will open in the Asia Cup. For the No. 3 spot, I feel Tilak Varma is a youngster and can wait for his turn. Sanju is an experienced batter, and he could be groomed by giving him consistent opportunities at No. 3. There is a World Cup after six months, and he deserves a chance,” Kaif said in a video shared on his Instagram account.

Samson best bet against Rashid Khan

Kaif believes that if India faces a team like Afghanistan in the Asia Cup, Samson would be the best bet to take on someone like Rashid Khan, as he can strike maximums down the ground.

“He is among the top 10 six-hitters in the IPL. That's why I believe when Rashid Khan comes to bowl in the middle overs, there cannot be a better player against him than Sanju, as he can hit sixes down the ground,” said Kaif.

“South Africa has one of the toughest conditions for batting, and he has hit two centuries as an opener there. He plays both pace and spin well, and in the IPL, he scores 400-500 runs every year,” he added.

The former India batter also reckons that Samson has been in fine form of late, and he would be too hard to ignore in the upcoming eight-team tournament, which begins September 9 with the opening match between Afghanistan and Hong Kong.

“Do you know that Sanju Samson is the most senior member of this Asia Cup squad. He made his debut in 2015. He was then a part of the T20 World Cup-winning squad in 2024 in Barbados,” said Kaif.

“He didn't get to play, but when he did get a chance, he scored runs for fun, 180 strike rate. He scored almost 450 runs. He has been scoring runs in the Kerala Cricket League and is in fine form,” he added.

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